Unpredictably Predictable
by Lyvance Callele
Summary: AU: Sasuke knew Sakura as another girl in school - a pink-haired crybaby kids always bullied. That was until his genius detective brother, Itachi, met her.
1. Chapter 1

Naruto quickly rubbed the tip of the orange crayon on the paper as he slouched on the wooden floor, leaving thick scattered orange hues on the drawing.

"Dobe," Sasuke called – his slightly squeaky voice reflecting how annoyed he was.

Naruto ignored him – his tongue licking his lips as he focused on filling the white shape on the paper with color.

"Naruto," Sakura shyly called, anxious that he might not like being called by his name.

"Just wait—" Naruto said, finishing his task. He sat up to admire his work and smiled. "Perfect! Beat _that, _Teme!"

Sasuke frowned at him. "You tore the paper," he said.

Naruto looked confused at him. "What—?"

Sasuke only pointed his stubby finger on the jagged rip line on the paper, separating Naruto's work with the paper he and Sakura were working on.

"OH! NO!" Naruto exclaimed, furiously scratching his head in panic.

It was almost noon and Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura were grouped together for a poster-making activity assigned to their primary school class. After discussing a story they read that day, their teacher decided to have the students create posters of the part of the story that they especially liked.

Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura were not great at drawing. But having more experience with scribbling things in her spare time, Sasuke and Naruto told Sakura to be in-charge of making the outline of the drawing – their own impression of Momotarou the Peach boy, beating the last devil in Devil's Island. They then decided to color the drawing together – Sasuke taking charge of Momotarou because he had always been praised by the teacher for being neat in coloring his art works; Sakura taking charge of the background; and Naruto taking charge of coloring the devil which he decided should be in mix of orange and red.

And being rivals with Sasuke, Naruto took it upon himself to make sure the devil looked better than Momotarou.

"NO! NO! NO!" Naruto said, forcing the ripped poster papers to magically stick together. He was about to use his saliva to glue the paper together when Sakura anxiously stopped him.

"M–maybe Iruka-sensei has sticky tape," she said, holding Naruto's arm.

Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes. He turned to look at Iruka, who was frowning at the poster Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ino were working on in another corner of the room.

He was probably trying to figure out what they were trying to draw.

"Iruka-sensei," Sasuke called, raising his hand up.

The girls in the classroom, including Sakura, couldn't help but look at him as his cool voice echoed in the room. Sakura quickly looked away to hide the blush on her face.

This was the fourth time in the school year that she was grouped with Sasuke in a school activity. At first she thought it would be awkward since she had a crush on him, and he didn't seem to like any girl who admired him. But they never had any issue with their activities, probably because she also did her best to keep herself in check when she was with him. Then also, there was Naruto who always took Sasuke's attention away from her.

"Yes Sasuke?" Iruka asked, smiling at him.

"Do you have a sticky tape we can use?" Sasuke asked. "Dobe ripped our poster."

"I DIDN'T MEAN IT!" Naruto shouted.

Iruka sighed and walked to his table. "You're lucky I do," he said fishing out a roll of clear sticky tape and a pair of scissors from the drawer. He then walked to their group and knelt on the floor to see how the poster should be fixed.

"Wow," he gasped. "This is pretty good."

"Of course, it's pretty good," Naruto proudly said, smiling at Iruka. "I colored the picture!"

Iruka sighed, smirking at Naruto. "Really..?" In truth, the most unappealing part of the poster was the glaring patch of orange that was probably Naruto's work.

"She drew that," Sasuke said, pointing at Sakura.

Sakura couldn't help but blush. "N–No, Sasuke-kun and Naruto thought of how it should look like," she shyly countered.

Iruka looked amazed at Sasuke nonetheless. He was never one to praise someone else in class, much more a girl. He didn't even praise Naruto, his best friend, when Naruto beat his score in a quiz.

"Yeah, Sakura-chan's an artist!" Naruto proudly added. "…Unlike Teme here!"

Sasuke glared at him. "You tore her work," he spat.

Iruka smirked. Sasuke even referred to their group poster as Sakura's work. Perhaps the youngest Uchiha did inherit his mother's humility, and not just the infamous Uchiha pride.

"It was an accident!" Naruto reasoned, frowning at Sasuke. "Neh, Sakura-chan," he said, holding Sakura's hand. "I didn't mean it, I swear!"

"I–It's okay," Sakura shyly said, smiling at him.

Iruka raised a brow at the irritated expression on Sasuke's face. He was either unhappy at what Naruto did, or he was unhappy about Naruto holding Sakura's hand.

He cleared his throat. "Well," Iruka said. "This isn't something a sticky tape won't fix just be careful next time, okay?"

"Yes, Iruka-sensei," Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura answered.

Iruka proceeded with fixing the poster paper.

When the bell rang, Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura were almost done with their artwork.

"Okay," Iruka said, calling the attention of his students. "I'll sign my name on what you've finished today, and you'll continue your work tomorrow."

The students lined up to show their posters to Iruka – their things already tucked in their backpacks.

"The story said millet dumplings," Naruto said, frowning at Chouji, Shikamaru and Ino's poster. "Not pork barbeque!"

"Pork barbeques taste better," Chouji reasoned, already munching on a pack of chips.

"But you changed the story!" Naruto insisted.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, yawning.

"Iruka-sensei specifically said we should create our _own_ version of Momotarou!" Ino defended, keeping her distance from Sakura.

Sakura sadly looked away.

Sasuke raised a brow.

"He said draw your own version of _what Momotarou_ and the _characters_ _looked like_, not change the story!" Naruto said. "And why the hell does your Momotarou have the same duck-butt-hair Teme does?!"

Sasuke glared at Naruto.

"He still came from a peach," Ino defended, blushing at Naruto's last comment. "And he still beat the devil!"

"But he ate pork barbeque in your poster!" Naruto retorted.

"…Because it tastes so much better!" Chouji explained.

Shikamaru looked sleepily at the poster Sasuke held in his hand. "Nice," he said. "You drew that, didn't you, Sakura?" he said, glancing at Sakura.

Sakura blushed.

Ino frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "I draw _way_ better than Forehead-girl!" she said.

Sakura frowned. "Whatever, pig," she muttered.

"…Billboard brow!"

"Fat!"

"Who..? Me?" Chouji asked, looking at Sakura and Ino and pointing at himself.

Sakura and Ino froze.

Shikamaru smirked. "Oi! The line's moving," he said, pointing to the students in front of Naruto and Chouji.

"Oh! Wait!" Naruto and Chouji said, running to catch up. Ino and the others followed.

"Cool," Kiba said, glancing at the poster in Sasuke's hand from behind Sasuke. "Why is Momotarou's eyes red?"

"…'Coz he's angry," Sasuke answered.

Kiba nodded, still looking at the poster. "I didn't know the devil was a giant fox."

"It's Dobe's idea," Sasuke muttered.

Kiba frowned. "But you didn't include the dog that helped Momotarou!"

"Let me guess," Naruto said, smirking at Kiba. "You made the dog the hero of the story in your poster."

Kiba blushed. "What are you talking about?"

Shino, standing beside Kiba, unrolled the poster paper in his hand revealing a hand-drawn picture of a giant white dog biting a devil's leg. In a corner was a boy seemingly ordering the dog – most probably Momotarou. Around them was a swarm of what seemed to be a group of insects fighting devils.

Naruto and Chouji burst into laughter. Shikamaru and Sasuke smirked.

Kiba blushed. "Momotarou wouldn't have beaten them all without the dog!"

Naruto and Chouji just continued to laugh.

Kiba shyly looked at Sakura for help. "I'm right though, neh Sakura-chan?" he said, taking Sakura's hand in his.

Sasuke glared at Kiba.

Again with the hand! Couldn't they just _talk_ to the girl?

"Y–Yes," Sakura shyly answered, smiling at Kiba. "The dog helped Momotarou a lot."

"But he wouldn't have helped him if Momotarou didn't feed him," Naruto said.

"Yeah," Chouji agreed.

"The dog risked his life for Momotarou!" Kiba defended. "Momotarou didn't exactly sacrifice anything when he gave the dog a dumpling!"

"I'd like to remind you that the dog we're talking about here is Momotarou's dog," Shikamaru said, yawning again. "Not Akamaru."

"The dog in the story would have been like Akamaru though!" Kiba insisted.

Naruto and Chouji laughed once more.

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Kiba had always been obsessed with his white poodle – Akamaru. Well, he wasn't really a poodle. No one even knew the breed of the dog. They were only known as Inuzuka dogs, since Kiba and his clan were the only ones who bred them.

"Hinata drew your poster," Shikamaru told Shino.

Shino nodded, rolling their poster.

"Neh, Hinata-chan's here?" Naruto asked. "I thought she already left. Where is she?"

Shino pointed to the girl hiding behind him, and stepped away to reveal her.

Sasuke sighed.

The Hyuuga princess looked like she had a fever – her cheeks and earlobes scarlet upon looking at Naruto.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto greeted, smiling cheerfully at her.

Hinata looked more feverish than before. She mustered a shy smile before successfully looking away.

"You really drew your poster?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. The idiot really couldn't get a hint.

Hinata had no choice but to look at him again and nod.

"COOL!" Naruto exclaimed. "You're an artist too!"

Hinata's blush turned a shade darker.

Sasuke and Shikamaru were smirked, wondering if the Hyuuga princess was going to faint soon.

"Next!" Iruka shouted, forcing Chouji to quickly offer their poster to Iruka. "The nine of you sure aren't ready to go home yet," he muttered.

"We are!" Ino, Chouji, Naruto, Sakura, and Kiba replied.

Iruka tried not to chuckle.

The nine of them seemed closer to each other than the rest of the class. Perhaps they were friends in their previous life.

* * *

"You're walking alone?" Sasuke asked Sakura when she bid them goodbye.

They reached the crossroads where they usually took separate ways when heading home. Ino had gone ahead, saying she had chores to do in their flower shop. Hinata had walked home with her cousin, Neji, who always fetched her from school.

Sakura shyly nodded in response to Sasuke's question.

"Neh, we'll walk past your house on the way to Ichiraku anyway," Naruto said.

"Yeah," Kiba agreed. "Let's just walk there together."

"B–But I—"

"WE INSIST!" Naruto, Chouji and Kiba cheerfully shouted.

The pink hue on Sakura's cheeks turned several shades darker, seeing how the other students in the area looked at them. "O–Okay… Thank you," she said, bowing.

"YEY!" Naruto, Chouji and Kiba cheered.

They all walked to the path that led to Sakura's house.

"This is my stop," Sakura said as they walked by an apartment complex. It looked old and slightly worn – several cracks adorning some of the walls. The steel gate hiding it from the road was rusty and its concrete fence was decorated with teenage vandalism.

Sasuke and the others looked at the apartment building.

"Neh, Sakura-chan," Chouji said. "You live here?"

Sakura shyly nodded. "I live in the third floor."

Chouji frowned.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked Chouji.

"I just heard some rumors," Chouji answered. "Neh, you're not alone in there, are you Sakura-chan?"

Sakura looked a little confused at Chouji. "No," she said. "My mom is a housewife. I'll be with her."

Chouji nodded.

"Spit it out, Chouji," Kiba said, nudging Chouji with his elbow.

"I was just curious, okay?" Chouji shyly defended.

But Shikamaru and Sasuke knew something else was up.

"Alright then," Sakura said. "Thanks again! Bye!" She ran toward the apartment compound.

"See you tomorrow!" Naruto, Chouji, and Kiba said.

Sakura chuckled and smiled back at all of them, waving her hand. "Sure!" she said. "I'll see all of you tomorrow!" She then opened the gate of the apartment complex and walked inside.

"Let's go to Ichiraku!" Naruto excitedly said.

Shikamaru nudged Chouji. "What's with that?" he muttered.

Chouji glanced at Shikamaru. "I just heard some lame story about a crazy guy moving into town," he answered.

Sasuke looked grimly at Chouji. "He moved in Sakura's apartment complex?" he asked.

"I didn't really get the address so I'm not sure," Chouji said. "I mean, how many creepy apartment complexes are here in Konoha, right?"

"But that's the only known '_creepy apartment complex_' in Konoha," Kiba said, nodding toward Sakura's apartment building.

"But that's _not_ the _only_ creepy-looking apartment complex in Konoha," Chouji reasoned.

"How crazy is this guy anyway?" Naruto asked as he led the group to Ichiraku.

"He just looks like he's crazy," Chouji answered. "He doesn't talk much."

Kiba burst into laughter. "So he looks like Sasuke!"

Sasuke glared at Kiba.

Naruto laughed. "Maybe the crazy guy is Teme! Your news is wrong – he never moved into Konoha. In the first place, he doesn't move! Hell! He doesn't even talk!"

Kiba and Chouji laughed out loud.

Sasuke frowned and glanced back Sakura's apartment complex. It wasn't the only house with crazy rumors. The Uchiha compound had been rumored to have ghosts because it was always quiet. It wasn't their fault Konoha needed every Uchiha in the force all the time to close criminal cases.

The Hyuuga compound on the other hand had been rumored to be a house full of zombies who sat all day, probably due to the fact that deep and regular meditation was part of their clan's strict traditions.

And Naruto's house was rumored to be the house of the flame-haired witch, basically because his mother had quite a temper.

So the tale about Sakura's apartment complex wasn't unusual.

"I thought she's friends with Yamanaka," Sasuke muttered, directing the statement to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru sighed. "Girls are troublesome," he said.

"You're saying they're not friends anymore?" Chouji asked.

"Probably," Kiba said. "That would explain the exchange of insults."

Naruto frowned. "What happened to them?"

Kiba snorted. "Blame _him,_" he said, pointing at Sasuke.

Sasuke raised a brow at him.

"Ino and Sakura's friendship is just one of the many girl-friendships Uchiha Sasuke ruined," Kiba continued.

"What's Teme got to do with this?" Naruto asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Shino asked. "They're both crazy about Sasuke."

Sasuke scoffed and rolled his eyes.

…They just _had_ to blame it on him.

Naruto frowned. "I _so_ don't see what they see in Teme," he said. "I mean, I'm _way_ better than him in everything."

Shikamaru, Chouji, and Kiba snorted, rolling their eyes.

"…And I look _more_ handsome than him!" Naruto continued.

Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba burst into laughter.

Sasuke smirked. "Dream on, dobe," he said.

Naruto frowned. "It's true though!"

Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba laughed louder. Shino smirked.

They turned in another corner, looking excitedly at the comic books on display in a bookstore. Sasuke especially looked at the poster of a ninja-themed shonen manga he and Naruto were reading.

It was said to be loosely based in Konoha's history, but the author changed the names and some of the details. Sasuke especially liked one of the lead characters a member of the Uchiwa clan in the story. He had a feeling the character's back-story was based on one of the many myths surrounding the Uchiha clan.

According to the poster, the store was scheduled to release the new volume the following month and had opened their counters for advance-orders. Sasuke smirked. Maybe he should reserve a copy for himself, just to make sure he had a copy of the book before it ran out. The manga was a hit in the area, and it usually ran out of copies on the first day its new volumes were released.

"—see how Forehead sat beside Sasuke-kun? She's _so_ annoying!" Sasuke heard someone from afar say.

He turned his head and looked across the street. A group of girls – classmates of theirs – walked passed with ice cream cones in their hands.

They continued to talk about how "Forehead" always seemed to do everything to catch Sasuke's attention.

"Bullies," Shikamaru explained, glancing at the group of girls Sasuke was looking at.

Sasuke looked at Shikamaru.

Sakura being bullied was old news. She had been a cry baby since preparatory school, and he'd seen other kids in class make her cry. He always thought it was because she was weak – easy to taunt and hurt. And kids, being naturally selfish creatures, feel empowered when they make other kids cry – not that Sasuke had his fair share of making kids cry. That _wasn't_ the Uchiha way.

"She's still bullied?" Sasuke asked, pretending he hadn't noticed how Sakura cried in the playground when it was time for their class to play outside.

Shikamaru sighed. "Isn't it obvious?" he said, looking bored at Sasuke.

"Neh," Naruto interjected – a frown on his face. "Why is Sakura bullied anyway?"

"I think it's her forehead," Chouji said. "It's big."

Naruto scowled. "It's not _that_ big," he said.

"Yeah," Kiba said, nodding. "It's not exceptionally big."

"The hair..?" Chouji asked, shrugging his shoulders.

"Her pink hair..?" Naruto asked. "But it's _cool_! I mean really! How many girls in the world can pull off pink hair! And it's _natural_! Cosplayers even buy wigs to get pink hair."

"Yeah," Kiba said, nodding again. "She actually looks pretty cute with pink hair."

"Jealousy..?" Shino asked.

"You mean those girls are jealous of Sakura?" Kiba asked.

"That's possible," Shikamaru answered. "Girls especially tend to hate other girls who have some sort of advantage against them."

Chouji frowned. "I don't see why Ino would like to have Sakura's forehead or Sakura's hair though," he said. "I mean, she seems really proud of her body parts."

Naruto and Kiba frowned.

"Why are they jealous of Sakura then?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Troublesome," he muttered. He glanced at Sasuke and noticed the frown on his face. It spelled "_no idea_."

Shikamaru raised a brow. For an Uchiha, he was _dense_.

The first time Shikamaru heard Sasuke talk was in preparatory school, when he spotted him talking to a sobbing little girl seated in a corner of the school playground. He thought Sasuke was mute and telepathic since he rarely spoke and only Naruto seemed to understand what he was trying to say when he grunted.

But he actually spoke one complete sentence when he stood in front of the weeping pink-haired girl. Shikamaru still remembered the words he said because it was his first insight to the Uchiha clan's innate trait.

"_You're weak."_

It's the stupidest thing to say to a broken-hearted girl, and Uchiha Sasuke said it. Add to that the fact that he stared at her for a while. She stopped crying when he heard him speak. They stared at each other for a moment before Sasuke walked away. And Sakura didn't cry again. She just watched him walk away.

Sadly, almost every girl who was into Sasuke – basically all the girls in the class who wasn't a Hyuuga – saw what happened.

Uchiha Sasuke never spoke to anyone but Naruto back then. So to see him talking to a pink-haired girl with a huge forehead for them was just ridiculous. Why talk to the odd ball when he could talk to the prettiest girl in class?

This was of course, for Shikamaru, absurd. Sasuke just insulted a crying girl. And it made the Uchiha look more attractive?

Insane!

After a few minutes of walking, the group reached Ichiraku and all the conversations about Sakura was replaced by talks about which food is the best in the world – Naruto, of course, saying ramen was the best food man invented.

* * *

"So what did you and your friends do today?" Mikoto asked, smiling at Sasuke as he answered his home work in the living room.

She had just helped him understand some of the concepts he didn't quite understand in his lessons for the day. Though Sasuke didn't like asking help when it came to learning things – an Uchiha thing – he liked it when his mother gave him a hand, and Mikoto enjoyed it knowing that she might not be able to do so again when he grew up.

"…Aside from having lunch in Ichiraku, of course." Wednesdays, after all, were already known to the kids' parents as the only day in the week when Sasuke and his friends spend lunch in Ichiraku with Naruto.

"We read _Momotarou the Peach Boy_ in class," Sasuke answered, scribbling the answers on the equations written on his notebook. "Iruka-sensei grouped us, and assigned us to make posters of our favorite part of the story."

"Oh?" Mikoto asked, glad that Sasuke was being talkative about their school activities. Normally, he would just shrug his shoulders and say they did lots of things. "And who were you grouped with?"

"Naruto and Sakura," he answered, knowing his mother didn't like it when he called Naruto "_dobe_."

"Sakura?" Mikoto asked. "Is she the blonde girl who always hugs you?"

Sasuke frowned. "No," he snorted. "That's Yamanaka. Sakura's the one with pink hair."

"Oh!" Mikoto excitedly said. "That girl you bad-mouthed in preparatory school! You're in good terms now, I presume?"

Sasuke looked up at his mother with a hurt frown on his face – his lips in a pout. "I didn't bad-mouth her," he said.

Mikoto smirked, raising a brow. "Really? Didn't you call her weak?"

"She _was_ weak!" Sasuke defended.

Mikoto frowned. "…While she was crying?"

Sasuke looked shyly away. "I was being honest," he reasoned. "There's a difference."

Mikoto rolled her eyes. "There's a better way of telling her she shouldn't cry, Sasu-chan," she said poking Sasuke's flushed cheek.

"Why do you like talking about that anyway?" Sasuke asked. "Past is past!"

"So you don't do it anymore?" Mikoto asked, smiling playfully at Sasuke. "Insult girls, I mean."

"I don't even talk to them," Sasuke muttered.

Mikoto gasped. "You don't talk to Sakura-chan anymore?"

"I talk to her," Sasuke answered.

Mikoto smirked. "She's an exception then."

"She's usually in my group in class activities," Sasuke answered, not realizing his mother was subtly teasing him.

Mikoto nodded, smiling widely at her son.

Sasuke, unlike his older brother, seemed more reserved probably because his looks caught him too much attention from almost everyone around him. She could still remember how some of the elementary girls in his school followed him to the house.

The number of girls stalking him also seemed to affect his interaction skills for the opposite sex. He rarely spoke to girls. And when he did so, it was usually because the girls were part of the Uchiha clan – cousins and distant relatives. Haruno Sakura was the first non-Uchiha girl Sasuke spoke to.

"She's cute," Mikoto said, smirking at Sasuke who was still focused on finishing his homework.

"Hn," Sasuke nonchalantly replied.

Mikoto stifled a laugh knowing his '_hn'_ meant '_yes_.' "_Hn_ is not a word, darling," Mikoto reminded Sasuke.

"Hn," Sasuke replied – his eyes still fixed at what he was writing.

Mikoto rolled her eyes. "Where on earth did you get that habit anyway?" she asked. "I never heard your brother say that."

Sasuke smirked. He developed the habit in his attempt to keep away from people – especially girls – who initiated conversations with him. Then he read about how his favorite character in the shonen manga he and Naruto read used it too.

And '_Hn'_ became a language, much like Shikamaru's '_Troublesome'_ language.

Mikoto stood up, seeing Sasuke was almost done with his homework. "I'll start making dinner," she said. "Do you like to eat anything in particular tonight?"

"Nope," Sasuke said, closing his notebook. "I'll eat anything you make, Okaa-san."

Mikoto chuckled. "Alright then," she said, walking to the kitchen. "Could you be a dear and turn the TV on? I think the news is on."

Sasuke turned the TV on before picking up his things from the living room's center table. The narrations of the newscaster quickly filled the room. "I'll just take my things upstairs," he said, sprinting to the stairs.

When he came back, the newscaster was introducing another breaking news report.

"Is Aniki coming home tonight?" Sasuke asked as he walked down to the stairs.

"He should," Mikoto answered. "I haven't received any calls from them yet so he and your father should be home for dinner tonight."

Sasuke nodded and plopped down on the sofa to watch the news.

Unlike other kids his age, Sasuke liked to watch the news. But he didn't watch it to be more informed on what's going on in the world. He liked to watch it because he liked seeing his relatives' faces flashing on the TV screen, especially his older brother, Itachi.

Itachi was considered a celebrity in the field of criminal investigation because he had solved a number of criminal cases at the age of twelve, and had been recognized as an expert detective at the age of sixteen. Many of the criminal cases featured on TV were assigned to him, so the news reports would always end up showing him examining a crime scene or show interviews of him about a case.

Sasuke's father, the head of Konoha's defense department, was also a celebrity. But he was rarely featured on TV because he wasn't contacted by the media unless the news needed the opinion of someone really high up the political ladder.

Then there were Sasuke's cousins, aunts and uncles who usually lead the crime investigations.

Sasuke took the TV remote from the living room table to increase the volume of the TV when Itachi's face flashed on the screen.

An excited smile crossed his face.

"Aniki's on a new case!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"Oh?" Mikoto asked, walking to the living room.

"No comment," Itachi said as the reporters swarmed him – taking pictures and videos of his grim expression.

Sasuke knew it was wrong to be excited and happy when Itachi had work because that meant Konoha wasn't safe, but he just couldn't keep himself from feeling proud about his brother's achievements.

Then he read the caption on the screen:

_Police retrieving casualties, red alert on Konoha borders_

"Oh dear," Mikoto said – her face grim as the reporter spoke about 15 corpses recovered from the crime scene.

Sasuke hadn't processed what the news was about though. He was busy admiring Itachi's _cool_ profile on TV when an image of an apartment complex flashed on the screen.

Sasuke froze – dropping the TV remote control on the floor.

"Sasu-chan?" Mikoto asked, looking at Sasuke.

She noticed the shock in his face and quickly knelt down to comfort her son. "Sasu-chan—"

"That's Sakura's house," he whispered as the TV showed the image of the apartment complex were Sakura went to that morning. Aside from the cracks on the walls, and the rusty gate, it was filled with police authorities and medical people rushing large black bags into coroner trucks.

The area was surrounded with a yellow police tape. Itachi proceeded with checking talking to the investigators after answering some questions from the media people.

Sasuke's eyes fell on the caption on the screen.

_11dead, 5 children – no survivors so far_

The image of Sakura smiling and waving back at them flashed in his mind.

"Sakura," he gasped.

Mikoto quickly held him against her chest, whispering words to comfort him. He couldn't seem to understand what she was saying though.

All he could see was the coroners walking out of the apartment, with a black bag that was big enough for a child with the same age as Sasuke to fit inside.


	2. Chapter 2

_Made small changes with the age in Chapter 1 because I realized its a little too far-fetched for fiction, hehehe..._ _Thanks for noting this,_ **12-Smiley Rose**. ^ v ^

* * *

Itachi stared at the blood-stained walls of the apartment building as he stood on one of the desolated rooms ignoring the coroners picking up body parts from the floor.

He looked at the broken vase on the floor… the spray of blood on the curtains… the scarlet hand print on the wooden floor…

Who could have done such a thing?

Sure, Konoha had a violent history. Every village and country had its fair share of bloodshed. But Konoha had been a generally peaceful village for the past centuries. Sure there were a few crimes – driving under influence resulting to homicide, violent robberies, and once in a very long while a murder.

But the village hadn't seen such kind of carnage since the war that transitioned Konoha into a village of commoners.

Itachi walked up the stairs, watching the blood stains tell the story of a wounded child climbing the third floor for safety.

He was about to leave the police office that evening when he received a call asking for urgent assistance from every authority on duty. Curious, he took charge of visiting the scene.

Corpses greeted him the minute he walked into the apartment compound – three people shot in various parts of the body. Deep scarlet lines adorned their purple neck.

Itachi walked into the room at the end of the hall. He noticed the severed security chain dangling from the door. He held the shattered chain in his gloved fingers.

A bullet severed the chain.

Itachi followed an invisible line and saw a hole on a wall. "You got this?" he asked one of the investigators walking out of the room.

The investigator quickly examined the hole and took pictures of the floor, the wall and the door chain.

Itachi walked further inside – his eyes fixed at the coroners carefully lifting a blood-drenched woman from the floor. She was wearing an apron, probably making dinner when everything happened.

He scrunched his nose.

It was supposed to be a normal crime-free afternoon. The apartment was a secure place for her and her family – a haven where no one would hurt them. Yet there she was, mangled and lifeless.

The woman was lying on her chest, somewhat crouched at a pile of debris. She must have tripped, falling face-first on the floor before she was shot several times at the back.

One of the coroners trying to mover her cursed.

"What is it?" Itachi asked, quickly walking toward the lifeless woman.

"She's lying over a girl," the coroner answered, wincing.

Itachi tried not to flinch.

She didn't trip. She protected her daughter.

He knelt and examined the girl lying underneath the woman. He could barely see the child through the woman's pale red locks. "I need an investigator!" he shouted.

An investigator quickly approached him to document the scene.

Most of the experienced investigators had gone home when they received the alert. So they only had a handful of excited newbies on the scene.

Itachi then slowly lifted the stiff corpse away from the girl.

He froze.

The girl's pink hair reminded him of the little girl Sasuke always glanced at before they walked home. Whenever Itachi went to fetch Sasuke from preparatory school, he would see his brother sitting in a corner with Naruto and watching something from a far that always turned out to be a pink-haired girl crying in a corner of the playground.

One day, Naruto told him about how Sasuke insulted a classmate of theirs who was crying. It turned out to be the pink-haired girl.

He hadn't fetched Sasuke from school for the past weeks because he went directly to the police office to work on cold cases. But if he remembered things correctly, Sasuke and the pink-haired girl shared the same primary school class.

Itachi swallowed and moved the blood-drenched strands of pink hair away from the child's face. She looked so scared and—

"MEDIC!" he shouted, quickly touching the girl's pulse. "QUICK! CALL THE MEDIC!"

A coroner sprinted out the door. A medic team hurried into the room. They quickly examined the girl.

"We need to get her to the hospital," the medic announced.

Itachi removed his coat and covered the girl's pink hair. "_No one_, especially the media, should see her face," he said, coldly looking at medic.

The medic nodded. Two of his team members rushed down the apartment to get a gurney.

Itachi looked at the girl as the medic gave her first aid.

"It's alright, Sakura," he thought, wanting to send his words into her dream. "You're safe now."

He knew she wouldn't feel better when she woke up though, not when she realized that her family was murdered.

* * *

"Tadaima," Sasuke heard his brother and his father mumble from the living room. He quickly sat up and crept to the door of his room, peeking at the tiny slit on the door frame to see his mother greeting his exhausted father and brother in the living room downstairs.

It was almost midnight when he heard a knock on the front door.

"Okaerinasai," Mikoto greeted, quickly enclosing her boys in her arms.

The news program was still buzzing in the living room. Mikoto was watching the news when they arrived.

Fugaku gave Mikoto a squeeze and leaned away, raising a brow at the television.

"Sasuke wanted to keep up with the news," Mikoto explained as Itachi leaned away from her.

Itachi sighed.

Fugaku shook his head. "How is he?"

"He should be asleep now," Mikoto answered. "I made dinner. Eat before you two go to sleep."

Fugaku and Itachi nodded. Mikoto led them to the dining room.

Sasuke frowned. His mother didn't even ask them how the case was. He walked back to his bed and curled under the covers.

Why didn't she ask about Sakura?!

"He was in shock," Mikoto said, glancing at the door of Sasuke's bedroom upstairs. She knew he was still awake. But letting him interrogate his father and brother wouldn't be good for everyone.

Ever since Sasuke realized that the breaking news involved the possible death of Haruno Sakura, he stayed in the living room to keep up with the updates. The news announced that the authorities found a survivor. But they still hadn't released any more information about him or her.

Mikoto remembered how frustrated Sasuke was when the media didn't broadcast the name of the only survivor they found in the scene. Her son looked really worried about _her_.

"This was too close to home," Itachi said, poking the fried fish on his plate with his chopsticks.

"So he's close to this girl," Fugaku said after sipping his tea.

Mikoto looked sadly at Fugaku. "Is there really no news about her?"

"She's in the hospital," Itachi answered.

Mikoto gasped, tears glazing her eyes. "Oh, Kami! She's alive! Sasuke will be relieved—"

Itachi looked up at his mother. "Please don't," he said.

Mikoto and Fugaku watched Itachi for a moment, processing what he meant by his statement.

Fugaku nodded. "How is she?" he asked.

Itachi shook his head. "She lost a lot of blood," he said, remembering the blood-drenched girl the medics lifted from the floor.

Mikoto looked down at her clasped hands and sighed. "He didn't want to sleep," she said. "He watched the news channel. He didn't even check if his favorite series was airing. He seemed really annoyed when the media kept reporting the same information about the case. And he kept glancing at the phone in commercial breaks like he was thinking of calling you two."

"I'm glad he didn't call," Fugaku said.

Itachi nodded. He wouldn't know how to answer Sasuke's questions about Sakura. He still couldn't even think of how to tell his mother that Sakura only had a 40% chance of surviving because of a head injury.

"Was it the newcomer?" Mikoto asked.

Itachi shook his head. "He was one of the first ones we found," he answered.

Mikoto winced and shook her head.

"The Hokage suspended all classes for tomorrow," Fugaku said. He couldn't help but think of the savagery in the apartment complex at the thought of the Hokage.

Konoha, like many of the autonomous villages that transitioned into _commoner-hood_ kept most of its political structure, giving the "Hokage" the responsibility of leading and protecting the village. In its sketchy history, the Hokage was said to order genocides and assassinations to keep the peace in the village that persisted amidst savage killings.

Could the massacre be a terrorist attack against Konoha?

It had crossed everyone's minds. But no one dared to entertain the thought. To even dare to take it into consideration would mean re-opening scars and digging up buried grudges, resulting to paranoia and most likely in the end – chaos.

This was why Minato, the Hokage, ordered them not to share any information on the media that would make the people in the village think ill thoughts of other villages. The massacre was a crime against humanity, not just against Konoha. And it should remain that way until proven otherwise.

Mikoto nodded. She wasn't planning on sending Sasuke to school. She doubted Sarutobi, the academy principal, would also want the children to be away from their families at such a time.

Itachi looked up at his father. "I'd like to stay in the case," he said.

Fugaku thought for a moment. He knew by the reports he had received that Itachi had become attached to the case. How he seemed to check up on the only survivor of the massacre was proof that it wasn't just a criminal case for him. "You've done more than enough," he said. "Obito can handle this."

"Then at least allow me to take charge of Sakura," Itachi said.

"Why?" Fugaku asked.

"I found her," Itachi answered.

"The _coroner_ found her," Fugaku corrected.

"You need a statement from her," Itachi said. "I can get it from her. She knows me."

"If she wakes up," Fugaku said.

Mikoto glared at her husband. "She _will_ wake up," she said.

Fugaku raised a brow at his wife. "What is it with you and this girl?"

Mikoto rolled her eyes. "You don't remember, do you?"

Fugaku's eyebrow twitched. "No," he answered. "I don't recall having relatives with pink hair."

"That's not what I meant!" Mikoto said. She took a deep breath to calm herself. "I don't want Itachi to be exposed to this case either but—"

Itachi looked at his mother. "Why not..?"

"…_Because_, darling," Mikoto said looking at Itachi. "You're too young for this kind of case."

"But I was the first one on the scene," Itachi reasoned. "And I'm sixteen. You said I'll be allowed to be on serious cases once I'm sixteen. That's why I'm working in the office now."

"_Partly_," Mikoto and Fugaku corrected.

"You're _partly_ working in the office," Mikoto said. "And this _wasn't_ our idea of a _serious case_ when we allowed you to work on them."

"But Okaa-san—"

"As for what it is with us and the girl," Mikoto said, turning to her husband. "Sasuke cares about her."

"I understand that she's a classmate of his," Fugaku said. "But he's six. I'm sure he was shocked with what happened, and he'll be shocked for a couple of days. But he'll forget about it. And I'm sure the information he's getting about the case is just to make sure he's up-to-date on his peers' childish gossips."

Mikoto shook her head, frustrated. "He's turning _seven,_" she corrected. "And no, he wasn't concerned about the news just to keep up with his peers. Naruto had been calling him through the phone since we saw the news, but he didn't want to talk to him. He just sat stiff on the couch, looking for any channel on TV that would flash her face or her name."

"_Exactly_," Itachi interrupted. "At least let me—"

"You're saying he _cares_ about her," Fugaku said, raising his brows. "As in _cares.._? Mikoto, he's a _kid – _a toddler, even._"_

"Uh—no," Itachi interjected. "Toddlers are age 1 to 3. Sasuke's six."

"—Turning seven," Mikoto corrected.

"He's a freaking kid!" Fugaku said.

"He's a _lovesick_ kid!" Mikoto said.

Itachi stared at his mother. "You lost me," he said.

Mikoto sighed and turned to her son. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed."

"Noticed what..?" Fugaku asked.

"You _can't_ be serious," Itachi said, smirking.

"Oh I _am_ serious," Mikoto replied.

"HEY! Head of the family here! What the hell is going on?!" Fugaku said.

"I'm telling you why we're concerned about Sakura," Mikoto answered.

"You and your son are speaking in codes," Fugaku said, frowning.

"I understand he _likes_ her," Itachi said, looking at his mother. "But that's too much, Okaa-san."

"You're father realized he _liked_ me when he was five," Mikoto said.

Fugaku froze. "Don't tell me we're talking about this," he muttered.

Itachi stifled a laugh.

"And let's not forget you were six when you said you like Kio-chan," Mikoto said, eyeing her son with narrow eyes. "Now you're a couple."

Itachi sighed. "Sasuke's not me," he said, trying not to blush.

"_Enough,_" Fugaku said, silencing his wife and son.

Mikoto and Itachi looked at him.

"Let's talk about this tomorrow," he said. "We're all too exhausted to talk sense tonight."

Mikoto and Itachi sighed.

Fugaku and Itachi finished their dinner.

"I'll go ahead," Itachi said, standing up from his seat.

Fugaku nodded.

Itachi kissed his mother's cheek before walking up the stairs to his room.

Fugaku sighed.

"Suppose she survives," Mikoto said. "What will happen to her?"

"After we get whatever we can get from her for the investigation?" Fugaku asked. "She'll be given to child services. We've checked her listed relatives but none of them are…available."

Mikoto looked away. She knew what Fugaku meant.

"She'll probably be sent to an orphanage," Fugaku continued.

Mikoto looked sadly at the table. "Do you really feel nothing for her?" she asked.

Fugaku crossed his arms over his chest. "I pity her," he said. "I can't imagine our son suffering the same fate she has."

Mikoto looked up at Fugaku. "Do you think that's why Itachi wants to be in this case?" she asked.

"Hn," Fugaku grunted. "He probably saw Sasuke in her."

Mikoto nodded and stood up to take the dishes to the sink. "Fugaku," she began.

"Yes?"

"_Hn_ is not a word," Mikoto said, looking sternly at her husband.

Fugaku froze – his cheeks slightly flushed. He cleared his throat and stood up. "I'll be in the living room," he said, too tired to defend himself.

* * *

Itachi couldn't close his eyes. He had been on his bed for half an hour and he still couldn't sleep.

He instead only stared at the ceiling, cloaked in the darkness of his quiet room – the scarlet stains of the apartment complex haunting his thoughts, and the mangled corpses prowling in his dreams.

He thought he had seen enough to be a detective. Apparently his parents were right – he was just a kid. He was still too weak to sleep off the grimness of his day's work.

Itachi cursed and covered his eyes.

Faces of the corpse flashed in his mind – their fear-filled eyes and horrified expressions… All of them looking at him and asking him why it had to happen to them… Sakura's mother asking him what kind of life her daughter would have without a home.

He snapped his eyes open and sat up, gasping for breath – sweat sliding down his forehead. He swallowed and shook his head.

How did people in Konoha live before they transitioned to commoner-hood? How did their children sleep after seeing that much blood? How did they live after taking a life?

What kind of person would massacre fifty-three people – men, women, and children?

"Come in," Itachi said, taking a deep breath to compose himself.

The door to his room slowly slid open, revealing the silhouette of a child.

Itachi turned to face him. For a moment he saw Sakura standing in the place of his younger brother.

He smiled. "Come here," he said, reaching his hand out.

Sasuke quickly sprinted to his brother's bed, caging him in his short arms.

Itachi chuckled and ruffled his brother's hair. "You should be sleeping now," he said.

"Dobe said we don't have school tomorrow," Sasuke replied, pondering on how he should ask his brother about the case.

Itachi should be resting after all.

"Ah," Itachi said, patting Sasuke's back. "Yes, the Hokage suspended classes in all levels."

Sasuke leaned away. "Um…Neh, Aniki…"

Itachi smiled. "I'm not supposed to say anything about the case," he said. "You know that."

Sasuke frowned – his lips pouting. He looked away. "Yeah… I know," he said – disappointment lacing his words.

Itachi sighed as an awkward silence filled the room. "So… How was school?" he asked.

"We had a group activity," Sasuke answered, remembering how ordinary the day began. Aside from the gossips Chouji shared, everything else seemed normal–

Chouji's gossip. Perhaps that was a sign. He should have seen it! He should have predicted something bad would happen! He should have told Sakura—

"Otouto?" Itachi said, poking Sasuke's forehead. "Come back."

Sasuke looked up at him. "We walked her home," he said. "She smiled at us and waved goodbye before she walked into the apartment complex."

Itachi froze.

"Chouji said a crazy guy moved into their apartment," Sasuke continued. "But we didn't tell her." He looked away. "We should have told her," he whispered.

Itachi smiled sadly at him. "It's not your fault," he said.

Sasuke looked up at Itachi. "We should have done something!"

"It wasn't him," Itachi said.

Sasuke froze. "It—What..?"

"The new guy," Itachi said. He didn't know how to tell Sasuke that the newcomer was chopped to pieces so he just shook his head.

Sasuke's jaw dropped.

"No one saw it coming," Itachi said.

Sasuke looked away. "I—Is she…" he whispered.

Itachi sighed. He reached out for his mobile phone on the table and quickly dialed a number. He held the phone against his ear and waited.

Sasuke looked curiously at Itachi, wondering why he was placing a call at one in the morning.

"Hey," Itachi finally said – his eyes fixed at his blanket. "Any change?"

Sasuke heard the person on the other line mutter something.

"Oh?" Itachi said, his face lighting up. "I see… Okay. Good."

Sasuke suddenly felt hopeful. Certainly whatever Itachi asked had something to do with the case! …With Sakura..?

Itachi looked at Sasuke. The boy's eyes were wide with anticipation. Itachi couldn't help but smile. "U-huh…" he responded to the medic on the other end of the line. "I'll be there tomorrow. Thank you." He ended the call and placed his mobile phone back on the bedside table.

"Who was that?" Sasuke asked, trying to hide his excitement. He really just wanted to ask if they found Sakura somewhere – safe and alive with her mother.

"She's in the hospital," Itachi said. "I couldn't tell you earlier because she was under observation. But she's a bit better now. She'll just be asleep for a while."

"S–She?" Sasuke asked, trying not to assume he was talking about Sakura.

"Sakura," Itachi answered. "Haruno Sakura survived."

Sasuke stared frozen at Itachi for a moment, before a relieved smile crossed his face. "Sakura survived?" he whispered.

Itachi nodded.

Sasuke looked away – a heartfelt smile still painted on his face. "She's alive! I _knew_ it! I _knew_ she survived! I just _knew_ it!"

Itachi smiled sadly at Sasuke. He wanted to be as innocent as Sasuke at that moment. He wished everything was as simple as Sasuke's thought.

Sasuke looked up at him. "Her mother," he said.

Itachi stiffened.

"She said her mother stayed at home and she would be with her!" Sasuke excitedly continued. "You saw her too, didn't you? She's with—"

Itachi sadly shook his head.

Sasuke froze.

Silence filled the room again.

Sasuke swallowed, realizing what Itachi was dreading to say. "H—Her father..?" he whispered.

Itachi just patted Sasuke's head. "That's enough for tonight," he said.

Sasuke bowed his head – tears glazing his dark eyes.

Itachi sighed. "Would you like to sleep here?" he asked. "I need someone to wake me up when my phone rings."

Sasuke, like any Uchiha, wouldn't admit to something that would make him appear weak like sleeping beside his brother for comfort.

Sasuke nodded and took his place beside Itachi. Itachi lied down, ruffling Sasuke's hair one last time before closing his eyes.

"I had a dream," Sasuke whispered.

Itachi glanced at his young brother. Sasuke was staring at the ceiling.

"I walked into the Uchiha compound and everyone was dead," Sasuke continued.

Itachi looked away. The event had traumatized Sasuke, just as he predicted.

"I went home and saw Okaa-san and Otou-san on the floor," Sasuke continued. "They were…" Sasuke bit his lips and rubbed his eyes.

Itachi patted Sasuke's head. "Hush," he said. "It's just a dream."

Sasuke nodded and tried to compose himself.

Itachi pulled Sasuke to his chest. "We'll catch the devil that did this," he said. "And I'll make sure this doesn't happen to _anyone _again."

Sasuke nodded and tried to sleep.

* * *

Tension loomed over the dinner table as Itachi and Fugaku tried to discuss the eldest Uchiha son's involvement in the case.

"Obito will be more than capable of handling this case," Fugaku said, keeping his eyes on the plate.

"He will need help in organizing the evidence and statements in the case," Itachi said, also keeping his eyes on his own plate as if they weren't talking about a serious matter. "I can just help out with gathering information – interview witnesses."

"He will have enough men to help him with that," Fugaku replied.

"Having another efficient hand wouldn't hurt," Itachi said.

"No," Fugaku said. "But it would if something else happens and all the efficient hands are full."

"We still have ten efficient hands in the department not assigned to this case," Itachi said. "They can work on whatever else comes."

"You're not them," Fugaku said.

"Exactly," Itachi said. "I'm not them. I can contribute more to the case."

"By interviewing people..?" Fugaku asked. "We have enough people for that."

Sasuke glanced at the two – anxious and puzzled at what was going on.

"Eat your breakfast, Sasu-kun," Mikoto said, smiling at Sasuke to keep his attention away from the feud.

Sasuke frowned and looked at his plate.

"She's traumatized," Itachi countered. "She won't trust just _anyone_."

Fugaku raised a brow at him. "You're saying she'll trust you?"

Itachi looked up at his father. "She's seen me before," he said, though he wasn't quite sure if it indeed made a difference to the situation.

Sasuke's ears perked up. He excitedly looked at Itachi. "Are you talking about Sakura?"

Fugaku and Itachi glanced at Sasuke.

"She knows me!" Sasuke said, shooting his hand up. "She knows me! She'll talk to me! I can help you in the case!"

Fugaku grunted and glared at Itachi.

Itachi just looked at him.

"Sasu-kun," Mikoto said, holding Sasuke's hand. "Children shouldn't interrupt adult conversations."

Sasuke looked sadly at his mother. "But they're talking about Sakura," he said.

"You're too young to work in the case," Itachi said, smiling kindly at his brother.

Sasuke frowned. "But she knows me! She'll trust me! If there's anyone here who can help ask her for what happened, it's me!"

"Sasuke, this _isn't_ a game," Fugaku said, glaring at his son.

Sasuke winced and shrunk back.

"Sasuke is fully aware of that," Itachi said, looking at his father. "He cares about her. That's why he wants to help."

"This isn't something just _anyone_ should participate in," Fugaku said.

"I'm not just anyone though," Itachi said. "You know that."

Mikoto and Sasuke looked at Fugaku, wondering how he would respond to Itachi's statement.

Itachi indeed wasn't just anyone. He was the best "_closer"_ in the department despite being the newest detective in the division.

Fugaku grunted and looked down at his plate. "I've assigned Obito to the case," he said, taking some of the seared salmon on his plate. "If you want to do something to solve it, talk to him."

Mikoto smiled. Sasuke, still confused, stared at his father.

Itachi smirked and nudged Sasuke. When his younger brother looked up at him, he winked.

It took a moment for Sasuke to understand what Itachi meant. But once he realized it meant everything went with Itachi's way, he smiled.

"Finish your breakfast," Fugaku said, eyeing Itachi. "We should be in the office before six."

Itachi nodded and finished his breakfast.

* * *

"I feel guilty," Chouji said, frowning and rubbing his tummy as he sat slumped next to the telephone.

"It's not your fault, Chouji," Kiba said from the other line as he combed Akamaru's hair. "You're not the one who killed those people."

"But I should have warned Sakura," Chouji said.

"About the crazy guy..?" Shikamaru asked from the other line as he lied on the floor with a pillow on his eyes.

"Yes!" Chouji said. "I should have told Sakura to be careful and stuff."

"It wouldn't have changed anything," Shino said, watching a rhinoceros beetle walk on the telephone as he sat on the floor.

"Shino's right," Naruto said before he slurped his ramen beside the telephone. "We're kids! I hate to admit it but my Otou-san was right. We can only do so much."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted as he stared at the window – the telephone sitting next to him.

Since classes were suspended, and parents in Konoha were being extra careful with their children, Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba and Shino were confined in their homes with nothing to do. Naruto decided to hold a conference call with his friends to discuss what had happened since he knew his friends were as worried about it as he was.

"Besides," Shikamaru said. "It wasn't the crazy guy."

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Naruto, Chouji, and Kiba.

Sasuke stared at the telephone as if it grew a set of tentacles. Shikamaru knew it too?!

"It wasn't the crazy guy?!" Naruto asked. "What do you mean?"

"They found _'crazy guy'_ or more accurately the new guy dead," Shikamaru answered, yawning. "He was a victim."

"Wait!" Kiba said. "You're saying someone born and bred in Konoha did this?"

"Where did you get this information anyway?" Naruto asked, frowning at the telephone.

"His dad's in the intelligence department, remember?" Chouji said.

"Yeah but my Otou-san didn't tell me that!" Naruto said. "And he's the freaking Hokage!"

"It's confidential information, dobe," Sasuke said, sighing "And you're a kid. You're not supposed to know this."

"But we live in Konoha! What if we know who this killer is? Or if we've seen him?! We can help the police!" Naruto defended.

Sasuke frowned. He hated it when Naruto was right.

"So your dad told you that information, Shikamaru?" Kiba asked.

"Of course not," Shikamaru answered.

"How did you get this information then?" Naruto asked.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered.

That meant it was a secret in Shikamaru language.

Sasuke sighed. He knew Shikamaru's intelligence report was accurate though. That's what Itachi also told him that evening. And Shikamaru was really good in espionage, just like his father who Naruto and Kiba suspected to be an espionage agent. Sasuke also saw Shikamaru's dad on the scene talking with Itachi so he must have known a lot of confidential details on the case.

"So what now?" Kiba asked.

"Well," Naruto began. "I was thinking of taking a walk to look for Sakura."

"You mean sneak out and look for her in the apartment complex?" Chouji asked. "Won't our parents stop us?"

"THAT WAS WHY I WAS SPEAKING IN CODES, CHOUJI! I know we're all on speaker!" Naruto exclaimed. "You ruined it."

"It sounded so obvious anyway," Shikamaru said. "Any word Uchiha?"

"Hn," Sasuke answered, glancing at the phone. "She's in the hospital."

"WHAT?!" Naruto, Chouji and Kiba exclaimed.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US ABOUT IT EARLIER?!" Naruto shouted.

"WERE YOU TRYING TO KEEP IT TO YOURSELF ALL ALONG?!" Kiba exclaimed.

"How is she?!" Chouji asked.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "None of you asked earlier," Sasuke said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Aniki said she's sleeping."

"Wait," Kiba said. "The news said there was only one survivor. Does that mean–"

Silence filled the conference call.

"Are we all thinking about what will happen to her when she wakes up?" Kiba asked.

"Yeah," Naruto, Chouji, and Shikamaru said. Shino sighed as he let the beetle walk on his palm.

Sasuke stared at nowhere, thinking about the smile on Sakura's face when she waved goodbye to them.

He remembered his dream… His nightmare… The sight of his loved ones dead and bloody on the floor… The feeling of realizing he was alone… Sakura in that position…

Sasuke winced.

"What's going to happen to her?" Chouji asked.

"Yeah," Kiba said. "She's not going to live in the apartment anymore, right?"

"Orphan children are taken to the orphanage," Shino said.

"So she'll live in an orphanage?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke sighed.

The Konoha orphanage was a house located far from town. It was said to be situated in a vast secluded land because it was supposed to provide orphaned children with whatever they needed – food, shelter, clothing, edu—

Sasuke froze.

"Nara," Shikamaru heard Sasuke say.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Is she going to stop going to school?" Sasuke continued.

Shikamaru lifted the pillow from his head and stared at the ceiling. "Yes," he said. "…Most likely."

"WHAT?! You're kidding, right?!" Naruto and Kiba exclaimed.

Sasuke wiped the watery glaze in his eyes.

"She's an orphan," Shikamaru said. "Unless she finds a guardian, she'll stay and study in the orphanage."

Silence filled the line.

"Then I'll find her a guardian," Naruto said.

Sasuke stared at the telephone.

"What do you mean?" Chouji asked.

"I'll tell my parents to adopt her," Naruto proudly said.

Sasuke froze.

Adopt Sakura..?

"She'll live in our house," Naruto said. "We'll grow up together and who knows? Maybe we'll end up together too!"

Sasuke stared at the telephone as if it grew a set of tentacles.

* * *

"She's conscious," a medic told Obito, Itachi, Gai and Kakashi as they stood in the hospital lobby.

It was around noon when Obito, Kakashi and Gai received word that Sakura woke up. Itachi, who was still trying to convince Obito that he should be in the case, went with them.

"Would she be able to answer a few questions?" Obito asked.

"She's responding to some of our inquiries," the doctor said. "But she doesn't seem to be too aware of what happened to her or of where she is. She… Usually just stares at us. When we ask her if she knows where she is, she just looks fearfully at us."

Kakashi looked at Obito. "Perhaps she should talk to someone she's familiar to," he said.

"I'm sure she's seen us on Konoha TV," Gai confidently said.

"If that's the case, she'll be terrified," Obito said, frowning.

"Eh?" Gai asked.

"You only get TV exposure when you're on a case," Itachi said. "If she sees you, she'll think something terribly wrong happened and it involves her. You know how scared kids can be around policemen."

"Nonsense!" Gai said, smiling. "I'm sure when she sees the glow of youth on me—"

"She'll freak out," Kakashi finished. He looked at Itachi. "You've been to her school, right?"

"I fetch Sasuke from school before I started working in the department office," Itachi answered.

"So she's seen you before," Kakashi said.

"That's the assumption," Itachi answered. After all, his brother was very popular in school. And whoever he was with caught the attention of everyone in the school. Hopefully, that included Sakura.

"Wouldn't she fear you too, since you're also on TV when you're on a case?" Gai asked.

"He's also Sasuke's brother," Kakashi said. "She'll probably think he's here for Sasuke."

"I've heard how smart she is though," Obito said. He looked at Itachi. "You're sure you can do this?"

"Yes," Itachi said.

"I mean are you sure you can tell her about her parents?" Obito asked.

Itachi looked away and took a deep breath. He looked up at him. "This is for her."

Obito nodded. "Let's go meet her then."

* * *

Sakura looked glumly at the warm light touching her eyes. Everything looked so… blurry… Her body felt so heavy and weak. And the place she was in looked so… bright and weird.

Strangers were ogling her, poking her arm, asking her questions like 'how are you feeling?', 'do you know where you are?' 'do you know who you are?' 'what do you remember?'

This was the weirdest dream she had so far.

"Sakura..?" A soft velvety voice called from her side.

She slowly looked up and saw a man smiling at her. He looked so familiar to her somehow.

He walked closer – his face nearing hers.

"Hey," he said.

Sakura froze as his face cleared. The dark eyes, the long hair, the smile on his face…

"Sasuke-kun?"


	3. Chapter 3

Minato browsed thru the pages of the case report Fugaku submitted in his office as Kushina served Fugaku a cup of tea.

"Thank you," Fugaku said before taking a sip of the green tea the Hokage's wife prepared.

Kushina stood beside Minato – eyes glancing anxiously at the report. She wanted to know if there were any good updates on the case.

She already knew that the only survivor of the massacre was a six-year old little girl. Kushina lost her parents at a young age too, and she thought of how painful it must be for the little girl to wake up as an orphan.

She hoped that the monster was caught soon.

"So basically," Minato said – his blue eyes still fixed at the document. "We don't have enough evidence to make a profile of the culprit."

"Unfortunately," Fugaku replied, setting the tea back down on the saucer placed on Minato's table. "That is correct. But we're all doing our best to make sense of what we have."

Minato nodded and looked up at him. "You've also identified the victims?"

"Yes," Fugaku answered. "We've received the complete list of the victims from the coroner and the apartment's log."

"And were there anyone else who might have survived?" Kushina asked. A cousin of the little girl perhaps..? Another relative..?

She knew how hard it would be for the little girl to adjust in an orphanage. And right after she witnessed the gruesome death of her loved ones?

Or another witness! …Someone who would spare the girl the task of recollecting the nightmare in detail to the authorities.

Fugaku sadly shook his head. "Everyone listed and known to have lived in the apartment complex, except of course the girl, had died in the massacre."

Kushina looked sadly away.

Minato sighed. "Did you find a visitor's log in the complex?"

"That's the first thing we sought for in the scene," Fugaku said. "Unfortunately, we still haven't found the log. Whoever did this planned it well enough to hide the log. We hope it hasn't been disposed off, though it is highly unlikely at this point."

Minato nodded. "Is your son working on this case?"

"That's another matter I would like to discuss," Fugaku said. "As much as I want to tap into his skills to solve this crime, I'm afraid he's still too young to deal with this case."

Minato nodded. "I understand," he said.

"He has however requested permission from me and Mikoto to join the investigation," Fugaku said. "With all due respect, my wife and I decided not to allow him to do so unless the situation necessitates his involvement."

"Of course," Minato said. "You may be in charge of his involvement in the case. I ask however that you allow him to also take a look at the evidences, even just the report. We will need as much investigative opinion on this matter as we possibly can to resolve this."

"Absolutely," Fugaku said. "I've prepared a separate report for him to read through later this afternoon. I told him to report to Obito for the meantime. I just received word that Obito put Itachi in charge of communicating with Sakura."

Kushina looked at Fugaku. "Sakura..?" she asked.

"Haruno Sakura is the only survivor," Fugaku explained. "She just woke up several hours ago. The doctors said she hadn't shown any signs of remembering what had transpired yesterday. She also hadn't seemed to process the situation she's currently in. They are still in the process of diagnosing the possibility of her having a temporary memory loss."

"If that's the case, then she wouldn't be needed in the investigation, yes?" Kushina asked.

"Yes," Minato answered, looking grimly at nowhere – deep in his thoughts. "But it wouldn't be good for our plans of catching whoever was behind this," he continued.

Fugaku nodded.

Kushina looked away again, remembering something that Naruto said. "I seem to have heard her name before," she muttered.

"She's in the same class as Naruto and Sasuke," Fugaku answered.

"Ah! Yes!" Kushina said, turning to Minato. "Naruto's been asking me about her."

Minato looked up at Kushina. "Yes," he said. "He's friends with her and Sasuke."

Kushina sighed. "It's sad they had to experience this," she said.

Fugaku nodded. "We can only make sure justice is served now," he said.

"Can you—" Minato began just as they heard a series of knocks on the door.

The three looked up at the door. Kushina immediately opened the door.

"Yes?" she asked, looking at one of Minato's office assistants.

"I'm terribly sorry, Namikaze-san," the assistant said, bowing. "There's someone who wishes to see Hokaga-sama. He insisted that it's a very important and urgent matter. I already told him you're speaking with Uchiha-sama."

"Who is it?" Minato asked.

"It's alright," Fugaku said, standing up. "I'll just come back when—"

"No," a man standing behind the assistant said. "Please stay. You need to hear what I have to say too."

Kushina stood back, surprised to see a red-haired man stepped closer to the door.

"Y–Yondaime Kazekage-sama," she greeted, giving him a respectful bow.

Minato and Fugaku stood up and bowed to the Kazekage in greeting.

"Please have a seat," Minato said, offering the chair across Fugaku to the new guest.

"Thank you," the Kazekage said, walking into the room.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Kushina asked.

"Thank you, but I would greatly appreciate if you give me water instead," the Kazekage said, taking the seat Minato offered him.

"Of course," Kushina said, smiling at him. "I'll just go get you your drink." She nodded at Minato and walked out of the office.

"How may we be of assistance?" Minato asked.

The Kazekage nodded. "This is with regard to the massacre," he said looking grimly at Minato.

Minato and Fugaku raised their brows.

Sure the massacre had been broadcasted outside Konoha. They had news reporters and journalists from other villages covering the scene the day before.

…But for the Kazekage to personally pay them a visit about the massacre without setting up a formal meeting..?

"We requested your permission to send out an operative from our village to catch a criminal who had been reported to have sought refuge here in Konoha," Kazekage said.

"Yes," Minato said, realizing what the Kazekage wanted to talk about and suddenly feeling more alarmed about the massacre. "I remember that. You also requested that no one in our ranks would be informed on who the operative is."

The Kazekage nodded. "And I greatly appreciate your consideration on our request. I also thank you for trusting us. We will forever be grateful to you," he said. "And for that, I am here to tell you what we should have told you before about the operative we sent into your village."

"Pardon my interruption," Fugaku said. "Are you saying the newcomer in the apartment complex is your operative?"

The Kazekage nodded.

"That would explain the limited information we found about him," Fugaku said.

The Kazekage looked at Minato. "He was not an operative," he said. "He was an important informant on a case being secretly investigated on by our police force. Having received information that there might be moles in our ranks, we opted to send him to your village to keep him safe. No one in Suna was supposed to know that the case existed, or that he was involved in anything."

"I'm sorry if I'm being too rude," Fugaku said, frowning. "But it appears, based on your statement, that we made a terrible mistake in accepting your request."

"I understand," the Kazekage said. "And I deeply apologize for that. But allow me to explain," he said, turning to Minato.

"Do continue," Minato said.

"You gave us permission to send the operative in one particular place in Konoha where we could monitor him, and we made sure that we kept our promise," the Kazekage said. "That was until our informant suddenly disappeared. Our men thought he ran away from Konoha. We followed his tracks to Kirigakure. It was only yesterday that we found evidence that he just moved to an apartment in your village."

"Yesterday..?" Minato asked, raising his brows.

"Yes," the Kazekage said. "We were about to send operatives to retrieve him when your authorities reached the apartment complex, reporting a massacre."

"This is obviously too good to be a coincidence," Fugaku said, glancing at Minato.

Minato nodded. "I understand that you're here not only to give your condolences and apology, but also to help us resolve this case?"

The Kazekage nodded. "Yes," he said. "We have reason to believe the concern distressing us in Sunagakure is also present in your village."

"Will you give us full access to your intelligence reports then?" Minato said. "…On anything and everything that concerns and may concern this matter?"

The Kazekage nodded. "It is not easy for us to just give someone from outside the village access to what we have," he said. "But situations such as this need desperate measures."

Minato looked at Fugaku. "I'll put you in charge of coordinating with Sunagakure's authorities."

Fugaku bowed. "I accept, Hokage-sama."

Minato looked at the Kazekage. "Will you have enough time today to fill us in on this concern?"

"Yes," the Kazekage said. "We'll start with a series of burglaries in our underground libraries."

* * *

Itachi smiled.

"I look like Sasuke?" he asked, looking at Sakura's surprised face.

Remembering Sasuke meant she didn't have a severe case of amnesia. But it also meant that somewhere in her innocent mind lay the horror of what transpired that bloody afternoon.

"Y—You… Oh," she weakly said, realizing he wasn't Sasuke.

After all, the man looked so much older than Sasuke.

Itachi chuckled. "I'm his older brother," he said. "I used to fetch him from school."

Sakura sleepily nodded.

"You remember me?" Itachi asked.

"I-tah-chihi-san," Sakura breathlessly said. She frowned, wondering why she felt so sleepy and weak. She could barely move her body.

Itachi smiled. "Would Niisan be easier for you?" he asked.

A light blush tinted Sakura's cheeks.

"Go on," Itachi said, smiling warmly at her. "Try it."

"N-Nii-san," Sakura weakly said.

Itachi chuckled. "That sounds a bit better," he said.

Sakura shyly looked away.

"How are you feeling?" Itachi asked.

Sakura yawned.

Itachi smirked. "Ah," he said. "You're sleepy?"

"Just woke up," Sakura mumbled.

Itachi nodded. "Is it okay if I talk to you for a while?"

"Ho—kay," Sakura mumbled shyly, barely looking at Itachi.

Itachi sat down on the chair beside Sakura's bed, keeping her from seeing Obito, Gai and Kakashi who stood by the door of the room. They were practically strangers to her so she might not feel comfortable enough if she saw them there.

The doctor said her head injury caused a temporary distortion in her senses. Perhaps that was why she thought he was Sasuke.

"Where..?" Sakura mumbled.

Itachi froze.

If she asked about her parents, he would have no idea how to answer her.

"…Am—I?" Sakura asked.

Itachi swallowed the sigh of relief he almost released. "Hospital," he said.

"Ho—"

"You had an accident," Itachi said.

…Great. He was starting to weave lies to a helpless child. And in front of his superiors!

"Sasuke said you and Naruto made a poster in school yesterday," Itachi said before Sakura threw another question asking what kind of accident she had.

Sakura smiled shyly. "Yes."

Itachi smiled sadly. "And he and his friends walked you home?"

"No they—" Sakura began, just before she felt a painful sting inside her head. She winced.

"Sakura..?"

She closed her eyes – tears filling her eyes as the pain felt worse than before. In the darkness, she saw images of how Naruto, Kiba, and Chouji waved at her… How Shikamaru smirked at her… How they all watched her go into the apartment complex – Sasuke, Akamaru and Shino included.

They then walked away and she walked into the building. She saw the new neighbor smiling and waving at her. That was what he always did when he saw her – he greeted her like he had known her for a long time.

She saw the stairs she giddily climbed… the feeling of happiness and excitement at the realization that Sasuke-kun somehow walked her home…

She heard the sound of her voice calling her mother before she opened the door to their house. She saw her mother in the kitchen, chopping vegetables. Her mother asked her how school was.

"Sakura..?" Itachi's voice rang in her ears – warm hands grasping her hand.

Tears were streaming down her cheeks. The headache she was having was indescribably excruciating.

She remembered what she wanted to do the minute she came home. She wanted to ask Seiji-san how to draw a good background for the poster Sasuke, Naruto and her were making. Seiji-san was a travelling painter. And he recently arrived in Konoha to find an _"inspiration"_ – whatever that was.

She told her mother what she wanted to do. She remembered changing her clothes first, hearing something from her mother about her father working on something downstairs, but she just saw the image of the stairs again as she pranced to the first floor where Seiji-san lived.

She saw the door of Seiji-san's apartment growing closer. It was ajar so she peeped in.

Yells… Someone was yelling. And whoever it was sounded angry—_furious!_

Seiji-san was on the floor, weeping. He looked frightened. He was looking up at a man. She hadn't seen him there before… Or had she?

The man waved his hand at Seiji-san several times. Red paint sprayed on the wall behind Seiji-san.

She remembered freezing up, seeing the man turn his head to face her… Watching him walk toward her…And finally the stairs moving frantically as she tried to run away. Something nudged her side but she managed to still climb up the stairs.

She saw the door to her house… Her mother's anxious face…

…Red paint.

"I'll call the doctor," Gai said, turning to the door.

"Wait," Obito said, stopping Gai. He and Kakashi kept their eyes on Itachi, who was holding Sakura's trembling shoulders.

She seemed to have fallen into a seizure after Itachi asked her about how Sasuke and his friends walked her home.

"But she's—" Gai exclaimed.

"She's recalling everything on her own," Kakashi finished.

Itachi seemed anxious about what was happening too. He looked frantically up at Obito. "We need the doctor!"

Obito shook his head. "The doctor won't be able to help her, not until she snaps out of it on her own," he said. "You know that."

Itachi looked sadly at Sakura. She was crying – her hands clutching her head.

Sakura saw the man barge into the room… Her Okaa-san holding a knife… The man hurling her across the room…

Screams… High-pitched deafening screams…

"SAKURA!" Her mother's frantic shriek as she felt her hair being pulled – her legs were lifting themselves up from the ground... She remembered flying across the room.

She felt the pain of falling back, hitting her head on something hard before landing on the floor.

Her mother falling on top of her… Warm liquid…

"Sleep, Sakura-chan," her mother whispered. "You're safe."

Sakura opened her tear drenched eyes – her brain beating painfully against her skull. "Okaa-san!" she screamed. "Where's Okaa-san?!"

Itachi felt something in his insides break. He suddenly couldn't speak.

"Where's my Okaa-san?! I WANT TO SEE MY OKAA-SAN! _OKAA-SAN!_" Sakura shrieked, hurling Itachi's hand away. She tried to break loose from the IV tubes supplying her veins with blood and glucose – forcing the needles to rip her skin.

Obito allowed Gai to fetch the doctor as he and Kakashi rushed to pin Sakura down on the bed.

"OKAA-SAN! OKAA-SAN!" Sakura screamed.

"Sakura!" Itachi called. But she kept her eyes shut, and began to kick everyone away. At one point her foot slammed itself on Itachi's jaw, throwing him down on the floor.

"We need a sedative," Kakashi said, holding Sakura's right arm and leg down.

"The doctor should be here soon," Obito said pinning Sakura's left limbs.

Itachi remained seated on the floor – shocked at what happened.

Did he make the wrong decision? Should he have just told her what happened? Did he hurt her more by making her remember?

Should he just follow what his father told him – to stay away from the case? …From Sakura?

Itachi looked up at the girl still crying and screaming her lungs out.

What if his brother suffered such fate? Would they also pin him down like he was some lunatic? Would they also force him to recall how his family died? Would people also just look at him as a witness to a crime?

Itachi stood up and wrapped his arms around Sakura, burying her face into his chest.

"Hush," he whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Sakura."

Kakashi and Obito stood stunned at what Itachi did. The gesture seemed to have an effect on Sakura. She slowly stopped hurling her arms and feet around. She began to weep against Itachi's chest.

"Okaa-san…" she whispered – her plea tugging Obito's and Kakashi's heartstrings. "I want my Okaa-san."

Itachi closed his eyes and held her tighter in his arms.

By the time Gai returned with the doctor, Sakura had stopped throwing a fit. The doctor still gave her a sedative though since she wasn't strong enough for such amount of emotional stress.

It took Obito, Kakashi, Gai and Itachi a while before they started to speak again after Sakura fell asleep. They all watched the nurses fix her IV, change her blood-stained blanket and change her bloody hospital gown.

"I don't think I'll ever forget this," Obito finally said, breaking the silence that filled the room several minutes after the nurses left.

He stood against the wall watching Sakura sleep with Kakashi, Gai and Itachi beside him.

Kakashi and Gai nodded.

Obito glanced at Itachi. "Do you still want to be in charge of her?"

Itachi nodded. "I do," he said, wondering if Sakura was dreaming of the events that stripped her of her family.

Obito sighed. "You can't be too attached to her though," he said. "You know the law. She'll be surrendered to Child Services after this."

Itachi nodded, his thoughts too focused on how he would make Sakura's new life a tad bit better to process the idea that she would be brought to the orphanage in several weeks.

* * *

Sasuke sat slouched at the dinner table – his thoughts still dealing with what Naruto said in their conference call about the Hokage's family adopting Sakura.

If the Hokage adopted Sakura, she would be a Namikaze – Naruto's sister. So how would she and Naruto possibly end up together in the future? Konoha didn't allow incest, right?

Don't get Sasuke wrong. He was _way_ too disgusted at the thought getting married or getting a girlfriend. He was still wondering why Itachi even took Hatake Kio as a girlfriend. And why on earth Itachi seemed to follow her every whim, like when she told him to buy her flowers or shop for shoes with her!

Sure he was happy that his parents got married and had him and his Aniki. But really! Why would any guy want to follow every woman's caprice, like when his father ate the cake his mother made! Uchihas weren't people who liked eating sweet things. Heck, Sasuke didn't even like chocolate. So when his mother baked a chocolate cake for his father's birthday and he just stared at her creation, she looked upset. And that "upset" expression, made his father swallow his pride and eat a slice of the cake. What exactly did his father get from eating something disgustingly sweet? —A smile from his mother.

Sure Sasuke liked it when his mother smiled. But was it worth eating sweets?! HELL NO.

…Okay, maybe if it was his mother, he would do the same but if it was other girls..? NO FREAKING WAY. WHY WOULD ANY _REAL_ MAN DO THAT?

Why was he rationalizing these things again..? Oh right! Naruto said something like ending up with Sakura when she was added to the Namikaze household.

THE HELL!

Perhaps it was okay though. Naruto would lose his manliness and follow Sakura's every whim if they ended up together. He'll finally be the gay Sasuke knew he was.

Why was Sasuke still pissed off with the idea though? Why did it feel like he didn't want Naruto to end up with Sakura?

"Sasu-chan," a voice said, derailing Sasuke's train of thoughts.

Sasuke looked up at his mother who was staring curiously at him. She was wearing an apron. Oh yeah, she was preparing dinner.

"What's wrong?" Mikoto asked.

"N—Nothing," Sasuke shyly answered. He looked away to hide the blush on his face.

Mikoto smirked. She poked his cheek. "Neh," she began. "You know you can't hide anything from Okaa-san. You're thinking about Sakura again, aren't you?"

Sasuke froze – the blush on his cheeks turning a shade of scarlet. "N—No," he muttered.

Mikoto chuckled and turned to the stove. "Okay," she said. "If that's what you want."

Sasuke frowned and looked at his mother. "Neh, Okaa-san," he shyly began.

"Yes?"

"Does Konoha allow incest?"

Mikoto froze. She stiffly looked at Sasuke – her cheeks flushed. "Where did you hear that word? Do you even know what that means?"

"It means marrying someone biologically closely related to you," Sasuke nonchalantly answered. "I read it in a book."

"Oh," Mikoto said, wondering about how she should tell Sasuke to avoid reading the book where he found the word. What if he started asking about sex? "Well, to answer your question, no. Konoha doesn't allow incestuous relationships."

Sasuke nodded and looked down again – going back to his deep train of thought.

Okay, so there was _no_ way Naruto could end up with Sakura if she ended up in the Namikaze household. But Naruto's father is the freaking Hokage! And Naruto was hell-bent on becoming the next Hokage!

If his father doesn't change the law for him, HE COULD CHANGE THE LAW HIMSELF ONCE HE'S THE HOKAGE!

"I have to become the fifth Hokage," Sasuke muttered, forgetting that his mother was there.

Mikoto raised a brow at her son. She was happy that Sasuke expressed his new dream and becoming a Hokage at that. But based on his facial expression, the dream was a result of some skewed rationalization. And that wasn't good, right?

"Either that or—" Sasuke muttered before his eyes grew wide. He looked up at Mikoto. "Neh, Okaa-san," he began.

"Yes, dear..?"

"Do you still want to have a daughter?"

* * *

"You want to _WHAT?!_" Kushina exclaimed staring shocked at her son.

She had just arrived from the Hokage's office to prepare their dinner. Minato promised her he would be home in time for supper. That evening, the Hokage decided to release a speech to assure the people of Konoha that things were under control, and announce that classes and government office work would resume the next day.

Kushina was glad that Naruto greeted her as energetically as he always did. But she grew weary when he excessively kissed her cheeks and hugged her tighter than usual.

Either he was about to ask her permission to eat ramen for dinner – which she would _never_ do because it wasn't healthy for anyone to eat ramen three times a day – or he was about to ask her and Minato to buy him a new ninja toy.

But to her surprise, he asked for none of the above.

"I want you to take Sakura in," Naruto confidently said. "Won't you like to have another girl in the family?"

Apparently, he already knew she survived the massacre and that she lost her entire family. How on earth Naruto got the idea to adopt Sakura was beyond Kushina though. She remembered that Naruto planned to hold a conference call with Sasuke and his other friends.

Could Mikoto be hearing the same kind of request from Sasuke?

Kushina sighed and knelt in front of her son to meet the gaze of the blue eyes Naruto got from his father. "Naruto," she began. "I know you care about Sakura but we can't just take her in because we want to. I want to help her too, I do. But there's a process to everything, especially adopting her. She's not just a stray puppy that you can pick up from the street, Naruto. She's a human being who will have as much needs as you. That includes, for example, having another room in the house for her."

Naruto frowned. "I'll share my room with her," he said. "And Otou-san's the Hokage!"

Kushina smirked. "Being a Hokage doesn't mean you have the power to get everything you want," she said. "Being a Hokage is being responsible for _everyone_ in the village. That includes considering the sake of other orphaned children in Konoha. Don't you think it wouldn't be fair to them if Sakura immediately got adopted and they didn't? Think about it. It's not their fault that they didn't have friends like you who would be willing take them in."

Naruto looked sadly at his mother. "But it's not Sakura-chan's fault that no one's adopting them yet either," he muttered.

Kushina rolled her eyes. "How about we discuss this with your father first?" she asked.

Naruto's face lit up.

"I can't guarantee that we'll take her in, though," Kushina said. "And if ever we _do_ decide to keep her, we'll follow the adoption process."

"Adoption process..?" Naruto asked.

"Yes," Kushina said, smiling. "Before any child is adopted by a family, the people from Child Services would first make sure that the family is fit to be that child's new family."

Naruto frowned. "How will they decide if we're going to be fit to be Sakura-chan's new family?"

"There are many things that they'll consider," Kushina explained. "One of them is the cleanliness of the house and the room where she'll be staying in."

Naruto gasped. "I'LL CLEAN MY ROOM RIGHT NOW!" he said before sprinting to his room.

Kushina watched Naruto disappear into his room before bursting into laughter. Perhaps having Sakura in the family _does_ have its benefits – like Naruto learning to keep his room clean without Kushina scolding him to do so.

She stood up and proceeded to the kitchen.

She still couldn't assure Naruto that they would adopt her though. She had nothing against Sakura. In fact, she would _love_ to have her as a daughter. But circumstances in the case won't permit any form of adoption just yet.

Not when it was possible that the man behind the massacre was still around to silence Sakura.


	4. Chapter 4

"Itachi!" Mikoto excitedly said, answering the phone.

She was preparing the Miso soup for dinner when the phone rang. She picked it up through the kitchen's wall phone, knowing it was either her husband or her son calling to tell her they were going to be home soon or they were going home later than usual.

When Itachi greeted her with anxiety glazing his voice, she knew it the call was for a special reason – a request that most likely involved breaking the house rule that the Uchiha children should eat dinner in the Uchiha home.

"Are you coming home for dinner?" she asked. She glanced at Sasuke, who at that moment was in the living room watching the news. He was again trying to look for updates on the massacre.

Mikoto remembered what Fugaku told her about Itachi attending to Sakura in the hospital. Perhaps his reason for calling was related to his new assignment.

"I really want to," Itachi said, leaning against the wall of the hospital room as he watched the nurse check the IV tubes connected to the veins in Sakura's right arm.

Sakura was still unconscious. But the pained expression on her face proved that her new life was haunting her in her dreams. The doctor said she should wake up soon, but if she does it wouldn't likely be a sight to see.

…Not when she would wake up alone in a white hospital room, realizing she indeed was the only Haruno in Konoha – if not in the whole world.

"There's a 'but,'" Mikoto said, smirking. She knew by Itachi's tone that he had developed a deeper form of attachment with Sakura. Perhaps it was due to their encounter earlier in the day. Fugaku also said Itachi broke the news to the girl and her reaction to it still haunted Kakashi, Obito and Gai's thoughts. No doubt it was haunting her sixteen-year-old son too.

"Yes," Itachi replied. "The doctor said she's bound to wake up in a couple of hours and it wouldn't be healthy for her to wake up alone. She's already crying in her sleep." Itachi glanced at the girl on the hospital bed once more, ignoring the nurse's farewell greeting as she walked out of the room.

He had noticed tear drops sliding down from her cheeks several times for the past afternoon. And if she woke up alone, he figured she would cry herself to sleep. Then she would have nightmares again. She would trap herself in an unending cycle of depression.

…Unless someone was there to get her mind off of what happened, even just for a moment – remind her that the world was still turning and that there were still people in the village who cared for her.

Mikoto nodded, knowing he was pertaining to Sakura and deciding on what she should do on that particular situation. "I understand," she said. "But you can't spend the night there anymore. Your body hasn't recovered from your lack of sleep last night." She knew Itachi had quite a hard time sleeping the night before. The grey accents under his eyes told her so. And she was sure that if Itachi stayed in the hospital, he wouldn't go to sleep. He would stay awake and on guard to protect Sakura.

"I'll tell your father I'll stay with her tonight," Itachi heard his mother say and he froze – eyes wide with surprise and confusion as he held his mobile phone against his ear. "W—What..?"

"No 'buts' Itachi," Mikoto said.

Several hours ago, Sasuke asked her if she would like to have Sakura as a daughter. She had always wanted one after all. Raising two bouncing baby boys in the house, though greatly disciplined than the average boys, was quite exhausting. And it made her wonder how it felt to have a child who would share your tastes in clothes and wouldn't mind having her hair tied up in ribbons.

Sakura might not share much of her preferences since she was born in a different family, but perhaps it wouldn't hurt if they tried to make her their own. She had heard so much about her from Sasuke for the past hour – how she liked to study, how she was so well behaved, how she was so sweet with her parents… It made her wonder what her youngest son was doing the whole time he sat in the class he shared with her.

Hopefully he didn't stalk her in an extremely obvious and obtrusive way. Sasuke after all had good grades in school, so that meant he was still studying… right?

Back to the matter at hand, staying in the hospital with Sakura would help Mikoto see if they could be the family that Sakura would need. She knew the events that happened had traumatized her, and she would need a stronger and more understanding family than most children.

Mikoto hadn't experienced the same tragic fate Sakura had experienced. But her parents had also passed away several years ago, and she knew how lost one could feel without their parents to guide them. She would have a common ground with Sakura and hopefully it would be enough to convince Sakura that she could be someone she can open up to.

"I'll be there in 45." With that she hung up the phone and walked to Sasuke.

The phone rang again, but she didn't pick it up. She knew it was Itachi protesting on her proposition. And there was no way she would back down from her decision. Itachi needed to take care of his health and she wanted to know Sakura.

"Sasu-chan," Sasuke heard his mother call. He looked sleepily at her, wondering why she was ignoring the ringing phone. "Should I answer that?"

"No dear," Mikoto said, chuckling. "It's nothing. I have something to tell you though."

Sasuke sat straight and curiously watched his mother.

"I'll be staying in the hospital tonight," Mikoto continued, taking a seat next to Sasuke. "Can you be a good boy and help your brother with preparing the dinner table later when he comes home?"

Sasuke raised his brows. "You're staying with Sakura?"

Mikoto nodded, patting his head. "It's just for tonight," she explained. "Your Aniki was planning to stay with her, but he hadn't had enough sleep yet so he might get sick if he stays with her tonight."

"Can I go with you?" Sasuke excitedly said – a smile gracing his face.

Mikoto smiled sadly. As much as she "No," she answered. "I'm afraid they don't allow children to stay there in late hours, unless they're patients."

Sasuke sighed and looked sadly away.

"She's conscious though," Mikoto said, poking his cheek. "I can tell her how worried you all are for her."

Sasuke's eyes once again sparkled with excitement. "Are you going to help her sleep tonight?" he asked, looking up at his mother.

"Yes," Mikoto said. "…I suppose so."

Sasuke quickly jumped off the couch and sprinted to his room.

Mikoto stared confused at her son. She hadn't seen him that enthusiastic about someone other than his Aniki.

Sasuke ran back out to the living room with a book in his hand. "Sakura said she likes to read fairytales," he began. "Maybe you can read this to her?" he asked, handing Mikoto his favorite book – a compilation of folktales for children.

Mikoto couldn't help but stare at her youngest son. Sure Sasuke had friends he shared some of his things with. But he never offered to share his things to anyone unless they asked him if they could use it. Heck, he didn't even let his best friend, Naruto, barrow any of his things without bantering with him.

And at that very moment, Sasuke offered – though indirectly – to Sakura his favorite book.

Mikoto smiled. "Sure," she said. "I'll read it to her."

Sasuke smiled at his mother.

* * *

Ino sat sadly on her bed, staring at an old photo of her and Sakura in kindergarten.

Sakura looked so shy and weak, and Ino as usual smiled confidently at the camera.

She couldn't believe what happened to Sakura – how that ordinary afternoon, her best friend (well, ex-best friend) lost her family.

Shikamaru already told her she survived the massacre in the apartment complex. When she first saw the news on the TV, she went into shock – stunned at the possibility that the afternoon she called her former friend "forehead" was the last instance she had with Sakura.

She wept at night and prayed that she was safe. She asked Kami for forgiveness several times, begging him to save her. It was the morning after when Shikamaru visited Ino and told her Sakura was safe and resting in the hospital.

Ino sighed and wiped the tears in her eyes.

She still felt guilty about leaving her behind.

Why did she cut their friendship short again? Right – she was in love with Sasuke-kun. And Sasuke-kun seemed to prefer Sakura over her – over _any_ girl who liked him.

"Tsk," Ino muttered.

It was a stupid reason really – a very childish one at that too. And she still regretted it every day. But seeing Sakura finally living by herself and bearing the courage to face their other classmates without Ino always protecting her, told Ino she made the right decision in letting Sakura go.

After the massacre – after knowing of the new life Sakura was about to face – Ino wanted nothing more than to see Sakura and comfort her the way she knew Sakura would want to be comforted. She wanted to tell Sakura she was still there and that everything would be alright.

Shikamaru said no one but the authorities were allowed to visit her though. So there was no way she could see Sakura.

Ino took a deep breath and looked out at the window.

Sakura was like a younger sister to her – a sister that had the opposite of Ino's personality. Even after the rift Ino made between them, Sakura remained a friend to her. They bantered whenever they saw each other. But based on how Sakura still followed Ino's advice on how she shouldn't try to hide her forehead behind a headband, Ino knew Sakura still treasured the friendship they had.

Sakura also never thought twice in lending her a hand in school projects, keeping her promise that she would be in Ino's side whenever she would need her.

Ino looked back at the picture in her hand with a newly-found sense of determination.

She would be in Sakura's side, just as she promised her, as her best friend – her sister. She would sneak into the hospital if she had to. Shikamaru and Chouji would help her. She would beat them both if they even dared to say 'no' to her.

Ino smiled confidently at Sakura's picture.

"I'm still here, Forehead," she said. "So don't go all depressed just yet, okay?"

* * *

Fugaku frowned at the street lamp glistening in the nightscape of Konoha as he listened to Mikoto on the phone he held against his ear. He stood by the window of his office.

He just got out of a meeting with Minato, Obito and Ibiki when he received a call from his wife telling him she would spend the night in the hospital with Sakura because the child couldn't be left alone in the facility with the trauma she was in.

"…Let's look at this from a professional perspective then," Mikoto said. "She's traumatized and she's unstable. Unless she somehow gets over what happened, she won't cooperate with the authorities. She won't _dare_ to think back on what happened that afternoon and you won't get a statement to make sense of the case."

"Mikoto—"

"Add to that the possibility that she would fall into a serious case of distress," Mikoto continued, ignoring Fugaku's interruption. "You know there are studies saying children can go into a catatonic state when traumatized. If she does fall into that state, there will be _no_ way you can get a statement of what happened from her."

Fugaku sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why—"

"She needs a mother figure," Mikoto said, not letting Fugaku to speak. "… A woman she would feel more comfortable with. I know she knows Itachi now, but she won't exactly feel comfortable enough with a male."

Fugaku rolled his eyes. Mikoto was determined to stay in the hospital and, basically, meet the girl. Perhaps he shouldn't have confessed his love for Mikoto at a very young age. Maybe Mikoto wouldn't be too eager to know any girl her 6-year-old son would pay extra attention to, and she wouldn't assume that the girl would be her future daughter-in-law.

"I don't like this," he said.

"I know."

Fugaku frowned. "You're still doing it."

"I'm keeping Itachi from getting anemia, Sakura from falling into a terrible case of depression, and you from losing hope on solving this case," she confidently replied.

Fine. One night with the girl wouldn't hurt… right? He wasn't going home either anyway because they had documents to check.

"I'll meet you in the hospital tomorrow morning," Fugaku said.

—A brief silence. He knew Mikoto was smiling.

"Thank you, dear," she replied. "I love you!"

Fugaku sighed as Mikoto ended the call. He slid the mobile phone back in his pocket. He turned around and saw Minato looking at him with a folder in his hand.

"Mikoto?" he asked.

Fugaku nodded.

Minato smirked. "You just got whipped, huh?"

"Like you don't get whipped yourself," Fugaku muttered.

Minato sighed and nodded. "Ah yes," he said. "We love our wives too much."

"Aye," Fugaku grunted. "You need something, Hokage-sama?"

"Oh yes," Minato said, handing Fugaku the folder in his hand. "Please check this out."

Fugaku opened the folder and browsed though the documents inside it, raising his brow. "This is the list of employees in the library," he said.

"Yes," Minato said, nodding.

Fugaku turned the pages and came across one page that _shouldn't_ be there. "This… This shouldn't be—"

"Indeed," Minato said looking grimly at him. "Look closely at the list of names."

Fugaku checked the columns were the names were typed in and froze.

One of them had the surname "Haruno."

* * *

Kakashi walked down the street barely listening to Obito's rants about the complexity of the case.

No, Obito wasn't tired of working on the case. He was just frustrated at how difficult it was to get a suspect. The crime happened in the afternoon, for goodness' sake – in the middle of a residence area in the time of the day when people should already be in their homes.

"I still can't figure out how the monster concealed his gunshots," Obito said, glaring at the road. "I mean, sure there's such thing as a silencer but it just mutes the bang into a spit. And there were bullets on the walls. It should have made a sound! Then the victims! I'm sure they screamed out loud before losing their breath. The neighbors should have heard their shrieks, or the noise trashing the apartment residents' units made."

Kakashi looked up at the night sky.

There were a lot of things found in the scene – so many things they were finding it hard to determine what might have been lost in them when the massacre ensued.

They had only checked on the properties of three victims. And none of their live relatives declared that any of their properties went missing.

No money was taken. No jewelry was stolen. No personal document was misplaced.

So far, the massacre was still a result of a rampage – a lunatic who suddenly went out of control. But the new information presented by Sunagakure authorities were suggesting otherwise. And the order of the victims' death was saying the suspect couldn't have been a lunatic.

It was a pre-meditated kill.

"Then the guy walked out of the compound like nothing happened," Obito said. "And no one even saw him?!"

Kakashi paused, feeling something in the evening breeze.

"It's like the guy made an invisible barrier in the apartment complex," Obito continued. "Which is just impossible, right?"

Kakashi looked at the road and froze.

"Right, Kakashi?" Obito said, turning to look at his friend. He noticed the surprise in Kakashi's visible eye. "Kakashi..?" He followed Kakashi's gaze and gasped.

A brown-haired woman stood on the road, looking shyly at them.

"R—Rin?" Obito asked.

Rin smiled. "Hey," she said.

A wide relieved smile filled Obito's face. "RIN!" he exclaimed, sprinting to her with his arms wide open. He caged her in a tight embrace. "Oh, Rin! You're back! You're really back!"

Rin chuckled and glanced meaningfully at Kakashi.

Kakashi's eyes told her he was smiling sadly behind his mask.

"Welcome back," Kakashi said.

Rin nodded.

Obito leaned away from Rin and looked excitedly at her. "Are you staying here for good now?"

"No," Rin answered. "I'm sorry, Obito. I'm here for some work-related matters."

"Aww," Obito said, looking disappointedly at her.

"Work-related matters?" Kakashi said, walking closer to the two. He knew about Rin's profession. So seeing her there surprised him. And hearing that she was there on a work-related matter—

"Yes," Rin said, looking at Kakashi. "I received word to check some documents in the library archives."

"Archives..?" Obito asked. "Oh, yeah! You work in a library. So how long are you going to stay here?"

"Not long, I suppose," Rin answered, looking at Obito.

Obito frowned. "Can't you stay here again for good?" he asked – all his usual playfulness lost in his voice.

Rin smiled sadly at him. "No," she said before taking a quick glance of Kakashi. "Are you on your way home?"

"But w—" Obito said, wanting to ask why Rin couldn't stay in the village.

"We're on our way to get dinner," Kakashi interrupted, looking at Rin.

"Oh," she said. "Mind if I join you two? It's been a while since I had dinner with you."

Obito noticed the knowning glances Kakashi and Rin exchanged. He knew they had been keeping things from him way before Rin left Konoha. He had tried to ask them what it was, but they always found ways to evade his efforts.

"Sure," Obito said, wearing his cheerful mask again to pretend he didn't see what they tried to do. "Let's go!"

* * *

It was seven in the evening when Itachi saw his mother in the hospital room, and half an hour later that Sakura opened her eyes.

"Hey," Mikoto said, smiling warmly at Sakura who at that moment was looking somewhat confused and scared at her.

Sakura didn't respond.

"I'm Mikoto," she continued. "I'm Itachi's mother. He had to go somewhere. Is it alright with you if I stay here for tonight?"

Sakura looked shyly at her.

She looked so much like Sasuke.

"I promise I won't bother you too much," Mikoto said.

Sakura nodded and looked away. She didn't feel like doing anything else for some reason. Perhaps it was because she was thinking about how her life would be after she was released in the hospital.

No mother and father to welcome her home… No mother to cook her dinner… No father to cheer her up… No family to hold her.

She was alone.

Sakura kept her glazed eyes at the white curtain hiding the window. She wanted to cry. She wanted to call her mother – tell her to take her with them in the afterlife.

"Neh, Sakura-chan," Mikoto said.

Sakura wiped her eyes and looked at Mikoto.

Mikoto shyly showed her a slightly worn book. "I feel like reading a story," she said. "Would you like to read with me?"

Sakura glanced at Mikoto's kind face, then at the book.

Her mother used to read to her too. That was one of the things she would miss about her mother.

Mikoto saw Sakura's green eyes moisten. She felt the longing Sakura was feeling. She wanted to hug her tight and tell her it was all going to be alright, but she knew how Sakura needed her space.

Mikoto browsed through the pages. "Do you know the story of Kaguya-hime?" she asked.

Sakura shook her head.

Mikoto showed her a page of the book with a picture of a princess seated on a mat. She had black hair that reached the floor, white glowing skin, and dark sad eyes. She wore a gold-embroidered kimono fit for royalty.

Sakura wanted to ask why the princess looked sad but she felt too shy and tired to speak.

Mikoto smiled. "Would you like to hear her story?"

Sakura shyly looked at her and nodded.

"Okay," Mikoto said, turning the page to the first part of the story that had a picture of a bamboo cutter walking in the woods. "Long long ago, there lived an old bamboo cutter," she began, showing her the picture.

Sakura couldn't quite see it well so she craned her neck closer to Mikoto.

Mikoto smiled as Sakura's green eyes focused on the picture – the pain waning from her face.

"He was very poor and sad, Heaven sent him no child to cheer his old age, and in his heart there was no hope of rest from work until he died, and was laid in the quiet grave," Mikoto continued, reading the verse on the opposite page of the book.

Sakura was till stretching her neck to look at the wood-cutter.

"Hmm," Mikoto said, acting like she was trying to figure something out.

Sakura looked at her.

"You'll hurt your neck, dear," she continued. "How about I sit beside you on the bed?"

Sakura shyly looked away and scooted a little to give Mikoto space.

Mikoto sat close beside her and pulled her to lie on her chest, just like her sons did whenever she told them a story to put them to sleep.

Sakura stiffly laid her head on Mikoto's chest, listening to her heartbeat.

Mikoto knew she was still uncomfortable about her. So she combed Sakura's hair to soothe the little girl's anxious nerves.

"Every morning," Mikoto continued, still combing Sakura's pink hair with her dainty fingers. "…He went into the woods and hills wherever the bamboo reared its lithe green plumes against the sky."

It took a while for Sakura to adjust to Mikoto but by the time the story reached the part where the wood-cutter took the baby he found in a bamboo grove to his home, Sakura was conversing with her.

They were talking about how a baby three-inches in height would look like, how troublesome a glowing real-life baby would be, and how scary it would be if they were in the wood-cutter's place when he found the infant.

Mikoto smiled as Sakura snuggled close to her. She leaned her cheek on her hair and kissed Sakura's forehead.

Perhaps Sasuke was right. Adopting Sakura could be a good idea.


	5. Chapter 5

_My sincere apologies. I've been terribly busy for the past weeks (still am actually). I'll try to update this story as soon as I can. __  
_

_Thank you all so much for still reading and looking forward to the succeeding events in this story _* v *

* * *

Obito frowned as he held his mobile phone against his ear.

They were on their way, walking Rin back to her hotel, when Obito received a call from a superior. Obito's presence was urgently requested in the police office that at that moment was scheduled to stay open 24 hours to process investigation data about the massacre.

Being in-charge of the only witness, Obito was asked to explain his report on getting information from Haruno Sakura.

"Yes," Obito muttered. "I'm on my way."

Rin snickered.

Kakashi smirked behind the cloth hiding most of his face.

They stopped walking and stood underneath the dim light of an old lamp post, just before a bridge.

The leaves of the aged trees hovering over them rustled with the humming evening breeze.

Obito ended the call and slid the phone back into his pocket like it was the most disgusting thing he picked up.

"I need to be in the office," Obito said, scowling at the ground.

"Shall I go with you?" Kakashi asked.

"No!" Obito quickly said, looking at Kakashi. "I'm putting you in charge of walking Rin home!" he said, pointing a finger at his best friend.

Rin rolled her eyes. "You two _do_ know I'm old enough to walk myself home, right?"

"But it's our friendship's tradition!" Obito reasoned. "We should _never_ break friendship tradition."

Rin sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Kakashi might have something else he needs to attend to though," she said, glancing to Kakashi.

Obito raised a cold brow at Kakashi.

Kakashi stiffly scratched his head. "Ah—I don't have anything else to—attend to."

Obito smiled. "I'm leaving Rin in your care, Kakashi," he said, turning to leave. "Make sure she gets home safe! I'll never forgive you if something bad happens to her!"

Kakashi sighed. "Sure," he said.

Rin rolled her eyes and waved goodbye at Obito, who was at that moment already sprinting away – his right arm raised high and waving goodbye at them.

It didn't take long for Obito to vanish into the night…and for the tension between Rin and Kakashi to wane slightly.

"How much does he know?" Rin asked, eyes fixed at the spot where Obito disappeared.

"He knows we know something he doesn't," Kakashi answered. "That's about it."

Rin smiled sadly at the gloomy street. "I'm sorry," she said. "I know I said I won't come back here anymore."

Kakashi looked away. "I don't remember saying anything about that."

Rin looked sadly at Kakashi. "Exactly," she said.

Kakashi sighed and turned away.

Things just had to be that complicated for them…

"You're sure no one's waiting for you?" Rin asked as she followed Kakashi down the empty street.

"Shouldn't _I_ be the one asking you that question?" Kakashi muttered.

Rin rolled her eyes. "Why should that be the case?"

"You've changed," Kakashi muttered – looking away to hide the blush forming beneath his mask. He knew Rin had eyes that were sharp enough to notice when he was blushing.

Rin smirked. "Oh?" she asked, seeing an opportunity to tease her blushing former teammate. "What do you mean exactly?"

Kakashi cursed inwardly.

This was one trait of Rin that she never got rid of. Perhaps because she was a girl and girls were _evil_.

"You're wearing a kimono," he simply said.

"Oh yeah," she said, glancing at her clothes. "But you've seen me in a kimono before, right?"

"Your hair is short," Kakashi said, frowning. How could she _not_ know what he meant by she "_changed_"?

Rin smiled. "Yeah, I cut it," she said. "It's so hot in Sunagakure."

Kakashi nodded.

Rin glanced at him. "But you've seen me with short hair before – when we were in primary school, I think."

Kakashi scowled.

What did she want him to say? That her body was shapelier than before? That her kimono was accenting her figure in the right places? That her short brown hair reminded him of the Rin he first met in school? That her face was more beautiful than he remembered? That her presence was enough to make his resolve crumble? That she reminded him of just how human he was — how his body was unfortunately still infested with masculine hormones that made him think of doing gestures Hatake Kakashi shouldn't do with Nohara Rin?

Rin bit her lip – seeing the stiffness in Kakashi's stance as he walked.

"Do you like it?" Rin asked – a hint of anxiety playing on her lips. "My hair, I mean."

I like you.

Kakashi sighed, confining the statement in his thoughts. "Yes," he simply said.

Rin smiled and walked closer to Kakashi's side. "Really?"

"You don't look like someone a guy would date," Kakashi said.

"WHAT?!" Rin exclaimed. She quickly punched his arm.

"OUCH! You hit like a guy too," Kakashi hissed.

Rin frowned and looked away. "I hate you," she muttered.

Kakashi sighed. "You're not that sweet anymore too," he mumbled to himself.

Rin glanced at Kakashi – cheeks flushed at Kakashi's statement.

He really noticed them then – all her gestures toward him…

"That's just because you're annoying me," Rin said.

Kakashi raised a brow at Rin.

Annoying her? She was asking him about things she knew he didn't know how to talk about! Who was annoying who?!

Rin chuckled and remained close to Kakashi – their elbows grazing each other as they walked down the quite streets of Konoha.

It had been quite a while since they last walked the streets of Konoha that together – four…five years? And the last time they did so was a painful one for both of them.

Rin looked up at the full moon, peaking at them through the clouds.

The moon was torn in half that evening they walked together one last time, not knowing that several years later they would walk with each other again – literally rubbing elbows like that evening never happened.

But it happened. And that was why the air between them was still filled with disquiet.

"Is this about the massacre?" Kakashi asked, ending the silence they had created between them for the past ten minutes.

Rin sighed. "Yes."

Kakashi nodded. "What do you need?"

Rin looked at Kakashi. She knew what he was planning to do. "I have to be here."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at her. "This isn't exactly a safe place for you now," he said, sounding like he was calmly reprimanding a child. "Not after the massacre."

Rin smiled. She had to admit it made her feel happy – Kakashi worrying about her well being, even though it was out of his duties as a member of the police authority.

"You're forgetting the fact that I'm still as skilled as I am before," she said. "I'm even stronger now."

Kakashi sighed.

Rin was one of the highly skilled medics in Konoha when she left for a special job in Suna. She was known to be as efficient with killing people as with healing people even at the age of fifteen. That was one of the reasons why she was given the profession she had in Suna.

But that didn't exactly mean she would be immune to death's call.

"Just tell me what you need to do," Kakashi said.

Rin shook her head. "I'm supposed to be the one to do it, not you," she said. "I received orders, Kakashi."

Kakashi stopped walking and pulled Rin's arm to make her face him. "Your life is on the line here," he hissed. "How do you think Obito would feel if you got hurt?!"

Rin looked sadly at Kakashi. "Would it be worse than how he would feel when he learns about _this_?"

Kakashi's eyes softened. He let her arm go and looked away.

"I tried," Rin said, strongly holding back her tears. "I tried to forget.

Kakashi swallowed.

He knew about her attempts to do so.

"I only talked to Obito," she said. "I thought I can learn it."

Kakashi sighed. Obito was the one who always gave him news about Rin's whereabouts. She wrote to him, gave him a call in her free time, and he met him several times in Suna. Obito was pleased to have a special connection with Rin.

He had to admit it hurt though – hearing about Rin only keeping in touch with Obito. But Kakashi figured it was better than seeing Obito in pieces. _Both_ of them did.

Add to that the possibility of Konoha's sketchy history being true…

"I'm sorry," Rin whispered, covering her face. "I shouldn't be like this."

Kakashi looked at Rin. He wanted to hold her… or pat her head to tell her everything was alright but—

Kakashi turned away. "What hotel did you say you were staying in?"

Rin wiped her face and smiled at him. "It's just several blocks from here," she said. "You're sure no one would mind if you walk me home?"

"I still don't live with anyone," Kakashi plainly said. "…Just my books."

"Books?" Rin asked. "Oh! You're into reading now? That's a huge change on you! What books are you reading?"

"Fiction books," Kakashi answered, walking with Rin again.

Rin nodded. "I've been meaning to read fiction books too," she said. "Reading materials in the archives all day makes you miss other kinds of literature. But I haven't figured out what kind of fiction book I should start reading. What book are you into now?"

"It's a graphic novel, actually," Kakashi said calmly.

"A graphic novel? Even better!" Rin said. "I'd like to read something with pictures for a change. What's the title of the book?"

Kakashi fished out an orange pocket book from his pant pocket and nonchalantly handed it to Rin, eyeing her reaction.

She looked curiously at the book's cover.

Perhaps she had been confined in the Shadow archives long enough to not be aware of the books published in the past few years.

"Come, Come Paradise?" Rin asked, raising a brow at the cover. It had a picture of a man chasing a woman. "Who wrote this?" she asked, flipping the pages.

She froze at the sight of the graphic novel's story panels.

"Namekaze-sama's teacher," Kakashi answered. "Jiraiya-sensei."

Rin's cheeks went from pale to red – her hands trembling. She looked up at Kakashi in shock and disgust.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Rin exclaimed, slamming the book on Kakashi's head.

Kakashi just smirked behind his mask.

Revenge was sweet.

* * *

Fugaku watched his wife sleep on the bed the way he always did in the morning. This time however, he wasn't lying beside her on the bed – he was sitting beside it. And this time, she wasn't sleeping in their bedroom – she was sleeping in a hospital room, half-cradling an unconscious girl with pink hair on her chest.

Fugaku sighed.

When they were planning their married life in their stubborn and youthful days, Mikoto always said she would have a daughter with the sons Fugaku wanted. But after giving birth to Sasuke, bearing another child was declared too dangerous for Mikoto.

Mikoto was still happy to be the mother of two boys though. She was especially pleased with Sasukewho inherited most of her traits. When she was pregnant with Sasuke, everyone in the village thought she was going to give birth to a daughter because she still looked beautiful even when her belly already grew to imitate a pricey watermelon. But she proudly insisted that she was going to give birth to Itachi's brother.

And she did.

Fugaku looked at the book on the bedside table and raised his brow. He picked it up and flipped its pages. Sure enough, he found the name of the owner and smirked.

He bought the book for his youngest son when Sasuke reached two. He and Mikoto started reading bedtime stories to Itachi and Sasuke when they were 5-months old. Of the two, Sasuke was showed most interest in reading books. Itachi preferred to try out what he read than just read it.

So for a change, Fugaku gave Sasuke a book of old folktales. Mikoto scolded him for giving the book to Sasuke when most of the stories in it weren't suited for children – what with the demons and subtle hints of horror and violence.

But Sasuke was a boy. He would enjoy reading an action-packed compilation of folktales. And he did.

The book urged him to learn how to read at the age of three. At the time, he preferred to read the story to himself before he went to bed than have someone else read it for him.

Fugaku put the book down on the bedside table again.

Sasuke considered the book to be his most favored one in the small stash he had collected since he learned how to save money and buy books on his own. He rarely took it out of his bookshelf for fear of losing it.

So how did it get to the hospital?

Either Mikoto convinced Sasuke to loan it to Sakura, or Mikoto sneaked into Sasuke's room to barrow the book without his son's consent – both of which were highly dubious.

Then there was the possibility that Sasuke volunteered to loan it to Sakura.

Fugaku grunted. If he was Mikoto and he believed Sasuke _was_ in love with Sakura, he would believe it.

"Hey," Mikoto whispered, yawning as she squint her sleepy eyes.

Fugaku smiled. "Good morning," he whispered, leaning closer to kiss her cheek.

Mikoto chuckled and kissed Fugaku's cheek back. She scratched her eyes and looked at her husband. "What time is it?"

"Six in the morning," Fugaku answered.

Mikoto yawned again. "How long have you been ogling at my morning drool?" she asked, smirking.

"I've been here since 5:30," Fugaku answered. "And thankfully, you don't have morning drool, Mikoto."

Mikoto gasped. "You've been here for thirty minutes and you didn't wake me up?"

Fugaku leaned back on his chair. "You looked too peaceful to bother," he said.

Mikoto sighed and glanced at the child sleeping on her chest. She smiled sadly, gently combing the strands of pink hair away from the girl's face.

"How was she?" Fugaku asked, noting the affection in Mikoto's eyes.

"She's still mourning," Mikoto answered. "But she was trying to be strong." She looked up at her husband. "Do you have anything on the case?"

Fugaku shook his head. "Nothing solid," he said.

Mikoto nodded and sighed. "She's a sweet girl," she said. "I still don't understand why this happened to her."

Fugaku nodded. "No one does," he said. "But it already happened. The best we can do is find whoever is behind this."

Mikoto nodded. "How are Sasuke and Itachi?" she asked, looking up at her husband.

"Itachi's taking charge of the house," Fugaku answered. "He was already cooking breakfast when I got home. Sasuke was already up too. He sends his love. Oh and he said he hopes he was of help to you..? I'm not quite sure what he meant."

Mikoto chuckled. "Oh yes," she said. "He was of great help to me."

Fugaku frowned. "He also said something about a last page," he said. He then glanced at the book.

"Ah, yes," Mikoto said, smirking. "Thank you for relaying that to me, dear."

Fugaku frowned at his wife. "You're keeping me out of the loop again."

"I just don't want you to tease your son," Mikoto said.

"Tease Sasuke?" Fugaku said, raising a brow at him. "_I_ would tease Sasuke? Who of us has been insisting he's lovesick?"

Mikoto rolled her eyes. "Don't talk to me like you're not capable of teasing your sons," she said. "I haven't forgotten how you reminded Itachi everyday for six months that he should formally introduce Kio-chan to all of us before they started sharing dinners."

Fugaku shrugged his shoulders. "I was being a father."

"You were being mean," Mikoto corrected. "I on the other hand don't blatantly tell Sasuke to not be overly caring about Sakura. I just let him be."

Fugaku shook his head. "Sasuke's a different matter," he said looking at the book again. "He's too young for these kinds of things." He reached out to take the book and look for its last page.

Mikoto quickly swatted his hand away. "You teased Itachi when he was ten."

Fugaku looked at Mikoto. "There's a four-year difference," he said.

"Three," Mikoto corrected. "And stay away from that book."

Fugaku raised a brow at her. "I bought that book."

"You gave it to Sasuke."

"I did," Fugaku said. "And I'm his father."

"You're not Sakura's father though."

Fugaku frowned. "Hn." He was lost again.

"Your son gave that book to Sakura," Mikoto said. "So unless you're at least legally related to her, I suggest you stay away from that book."

Fugaku's eyes went wide. "What the hell!"

Sakura winced and jerked at the sound of Fugaku's loud voice.

"SHUSH!" Mikoto hissed, glaring at her husband while she tried to soothe Sakura back to slumber. She combed Sakura's hair with her fingers and let her cuddle closer.

Fugaku cleared his throat. "What the hell!" he whispered. "Why would Sasuke giver her that book?!"

Mikoto rolled her eyes. "He just did," she said. "Get over it."

Fugaku shook his head. "He doesn't even let Naruto see that book," he said. "And he'll just give it away to her?"

Mikoto smirked. "You act like a father having a hard time letting go of his daughter," she said.

Fugaku snorted. "He'll regret it by the end of the day," he muttered.

"Sure," Mikoto said. "Take your time."

Fugaku sighed. "Are you going to at least kiss the kids goodbye before they go to school?" he asked.

"Yup," Mikoto answered. "I'm on it," she whispered, slowly untangling herself from Sakura's embrace. This made the girl stir, scratch her eyes and wake up.

"Hello dear," Mikoto whispered, smiling at her. She kissed Sakura's forehead. "I have to see Sasuke and Itachi first. But I'll be back, okay?"

Sakura nodded sleepily at Mikoto.

Mikoto smiled and hugged her one last time before slipping out of the covers and standing up.

Sakura curled into a ball – cold as the warmth holding her disappeared.

Mikoto fixed the pillow so Sakura could embrace it in her sleep. She then picked up the book on the bedside table and placed it in Sakura's arms.

Fugaku stood up and pulled the blanket up to cover Sakura's shoulders. He then patted her head and leaned away.

Mikoto smiled. "I saw that," she whispered.

Fugaku raised a brow at his wife.

Mikoto snickered and poked Fugaku's cheek. "How would you like to have her as a daughter?" she whispered.

Fugaku sighed and pinched his nose.

He _knew_ Mikoto was going to ask him about adopting Sakura. "Let's go out first," he said, pulling Mikoto out of the room.

"What's up?" Mikoto asked as they walked away from the room, ignoring the salute the police guards gave her husband.

"You asked about an update on the case, right?" Fugaku whispered.

"Yes," Mikoto whispered back, knowing they weren't supposed to talk about it in public.

"Here's one," Fugaku whispered, pulling Mikoto closer.

Mikoto glanced up at her husband.

"We can't adopt Sakura," Fugaku continued. "_No one_ is allowed to do so."

"What?!" Mikoto gasped.

* * *

Shikamaru frowned at Ino as they stood across each other in the middle of the street, waiting for Chouji.

It was early morning. The classes were scheduled to resume again after the authorities confirmed that everything was once again under control. Not many people believed it but they trusted the Hokage and the authorities, and they knew they couldn't hold everything in the village too long – not when the state of their economy was at risk. So work and school activities resumed.

And on the street, just outside Chouji's house, were Ino and Shikamaru having another staring contest. This time however, Shikamaru seemed too determined to win. Usually he just shrugged Ino's attempts at challenging him, muttering about how troublesome it was to pick a fight with her.

But at that moment, Shikamaru stared firmly into Ino's blue eyes – showing her that the reason for their staring contest was something he couldn't just shrug off.

"No," Shikamaru finally said, ending the silent dispute.

Ino frowned. "Why not?"

"You're insane."

Ino crossed her arms over her chest, glaring coldly at Shikamaru. "I am _not_!"

"Prove it," Shikamaru said. "Stop talking about crazy things."

"How on earth was that crazy?! I was just asking for your help!"

"That wasn't asking for my help," Shikamaru hissed. "That was asking me to get us both into a really huge trouble!"

Ino scowled. "How is that so?"

"Hey guys!" Chouji excitedly said, sprinting out from the gate with a bag of chips in hand. "Long time no—"

"What do you mean by 'how is that so?' Did you not think about how your father would feel the minute he hears about this?!" Shikamaru hissed – still glaring at Ino.

"It's not like I'll let him hear about it," Ino hissed back, cheeks flushed.

"It's not like it's even possible to keep him from hearing about it!" Shikamaru retorted.

"H—Hey guys?" Chouji asked, confused as to why his friends were fighting. Sure they quarreled a lot, but they seemed to be having a more serious fight than usual.

"This isn't just coming up with a prank to pull on Ani," Shikamaru hissed.

"_Ami_," Ino corrected. "I know that! This has a deeper, more moral cause!"

"Moral?!" Shikamaru said. He shook his head and looked away, muttering intelligible words that seemed to be about how his parents would kill him if they found out about something.

"Hey!" Chouji said. "Mind telling me why you're having a lover's quarrel?"

Ino and Shikamaru turned to look at Chouji – eyebrows raised.

"First of all," Ino said. "You're two minutes late."

"Wha—?"

"Second," Ino interrupted before Chouji could finish his question. "We're _not_ having a lover's quarrel. Shikamaru here is just being difficult!"

"I'm being a good son for once," Shikamaru retorted.

Chouji frowned. "Can you guys not speak in codes? It's making me dizzy and hungry."

Ino rolled her eyes. "Let's just start walking to school so we don't end up late for class."

Shikamaru and Chouji nodded and walked with Ino down the street.

* * *

"Bye, Otou-san! Bye, Okaa-san!" Naruto cheerfully yelled as he ran out to the street – obviously excited to see his friends in school.

"Head straight home after school!" Kushina yelled, running to the street to make sure Naruto heard it.

Minato chuckled as he walked out of their house to follow his wife on the street.

This was Kushina and Naruto's school day routine – yelling goodbye and reminders at each other, not minding how the neighbors heard every word they said.

Kushina looked at Minato as he stood next to her.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" she asked. "You stayed up all night in the office."

Minato stiffly smiled at his wife. "Nah, I couldn't sleep anyway." In truth however, there was no way he would be able to sleep hearing Naruto and Kushina talking to each other, especially when Naruto inherited his mother's loud mouth.

Kushina sighed and glared at Minato. "You need to get some rest! I'm not losing a husband anytime soon!"

Minato chuckled. "I'm fine," he said. "I already drank my vitamins."

"Vitamins are not enough," Kushina said, pulling her husband inside. "Get some rest."

Minato sighed but kept a smile on his face. "Yes, ma'am."

The two walked into the house, Kushina shutting the door behind them before leading Minato into their bedroom.

Minato yawned and sat on the bed, massaging the back of his neck.

Kushina smirked and took a seat behind him. "Lie down," she said. "I'll give you a back rub."

Minato chuckled. "Ah! I was just about to ask you about that," he said pulling his shirt off and lying on his chest on the bed.

Kushina began to press some pressure points on his back, earning a soothed grunt from Minato. She chuckled. "You had quite a night last night, huh?"

Minato sighed. "You have no idea," he muttered.

"This is still about the case, yes?"

Minato nodded, closing his eyes.

"So it's really not a lunatic," Kushina said.

"It's a cover up," Minato whispered.

Kushina looked grimly at Minato's back. "I'm not questioning you're authority," she began. "But you're sure it's alright for the kids to go back to school?"

"Yes," Minato answered. "Fugaku's deployed people in the area. And we've confirmed that whoever was behind the massacre wouldn't kill again just yet."

Kushina frowned. "What do you mean?"

Minato took a deep breath and sighed. He opened his eyes. "The Crime Scene Investigators found blood on the apartment building that didn't belong to any resident of the building," he said.

Kushina nodded. "He's wounded."

"Severely wounded," Minato said. "The amount of blood and the blood spatter on the scene suggested he was mortally wounded. Right now, our forces are focused on searching for the places where he might be hiding in."

"I see," Kushina said. "And you resumed all activities in Konoha to make him think you haven't noticed how he might be wounded and still hiding in the village."

Minato grunted and closed his eyes. "Hopefully we get some good news soon," he said, yawning.

Kushina smiled and pulled the blanket to cover Minato's shoulders. She then slid off the bed, kissing Minato's cheek before she stood up.

She was on her way to the door when she remembered something Naruto asked her to do. "Hey Minato," she began, turning to look at her husband.

Minato already seemed to be floating into dreamland, but he grunted in response.

Kushina walked back to Minato's side. She sat down and daintily combed his hair with her fingers. "How opposed are you to having another member of our family?"

Minato quickly sat up and looked at his wife. "You're pregnant?!"

Kushina stared at Minato for a moment before bursting into laughter. "You wish!" she said, poking his bare chest. "I'm talking about adopting someone."

"Oh," Minato said, nodding. He lied back down, putting his head on Kushina's lap instead of on his pillow. "You want to adopt someone."

"Yes," Kushina said, combing Minato's yellow tresses with her fingers.

"Sure," Minato said. "I guess we can have another Namekaze in the house. "Do you want me to talk to Naruto about it?"

"No," Kushina shyly said. "Actually, he suggested that we adopt someone."

Minato opened his eyes. "No," he muttered. "Don't tell me—"

Kushina took a deep breath. "Can we adopt Haruno Sakura?"

* * *

"TEME!" Naruto called, running down the street to meet Sasuke who just walked out from the Uchiha compound's massive wooden gate with his dark grey back pack already strapped on his back.

Itachi was already on the street in his sleek deep blue gakuran. He was carrying his high school bag – a black leather briefcase. And to complete his schoolboy look, he wore his long black hair in a neat and high pony tail.

Naruto sighed as he stared at Itachi. He looked so good in a high school uniform. He wondered if he would look that cool when he started going to Konoha Academy's secondary school.

"Itachi-niisan!" Naruto greeted, stopping in front of Itachi.

Itachi smiled at him. "Good morning, Naruto," he said, patting Naruto's blond hair.

"Neh," Naruto whispered. "Can you teach me how to look good when I reach high school?"

Itachi stared confused at Naruto before he burst into laughter. "Sure," he said, kneeling so he could be in Naruto's level. "I'll teach you and Sasu-chan how to look good in high school."

Naruto excitedly smiled.

"There's no way Dobe could look any better than he is now," Sasuke muttered, walking toward them after closing the gate behind him.

Naruto frowned at Sasuke. "Like you'll look any better than you are now," he retorted.

Itachi chuckled. "Oh you two will look far better than you do now," he said. "I'm sure of it. Shall we walk to school now?"

Naruto and Sasuke smiled at Itachi. "Ye—"

"Not yet!" a familiar voice interrupted Naruto and Sasuke.

Itachi, Naruto and Sasuke turned to face who spoke and found a smiling Fugaku and Mikoto in front of them.

"Okaa-san!" Sasuke excitedly greeted, spring to Mikoto with open arms.

Mikoto chuckled and embraced Sasuke tightly. She then kissed his cheek.

"How was she?" Sasuke whispered in Mikoto's ear.

Fugaku raised a brow at Sasuke.

"She's a bit better," Mikoto whispered back, smiling.

"Good morning, Okaa-san," Itachi greeted, walking to Mikoto.

Mikoto let Sasuke go and held Itachi in her arms. She kissed his cheek before releasing him. "Where's your lunch box?"

Itachi scratched his head. "I'm not in grade-school anymore," he muttered.

Fugaku snickered. "Kio-chan told you she'll make your lunch, didn't she?"

Itachi looked shyly away and nodded.

Mikoto sighed. "Fine," she said. "She _is_ a good cook, isn't she?"

Itachi smiled at his mother. "Not as good as you," he said. "But it will do."

Mikoto laughed. "Don't say that in front of her if you want to keep her by your side," she said, nudging Itachi's shoulder.

"It's true though," Sasuke and Naruto said.

Mikoto, Fugaku and Itachi burst into laughter.

The first time Kio visited the Uchiha compound, she brought a box of cookies she baked for Itachi who at the time was too sick to go to school.

Naruto and Sasuke were playing in the backyard and decided to rummage the kitchen for something to eat. They found Kio's cookies and decided it was just what they needed after winning a ninja war in the mud.

They told Mikoto and Fugaku about how bitter and salty the deep brown cookies were, thankfully, after Kio left.

Mikoto walked to Naruto and held her tight in her arms.

Naruto chuckled and hugged her back. "Good morning, Oba-san," he greeted. "You went somewhere?"

"Yes," Mikoto answered before kissing Naruto's forehead and releasing him. "I visited someone."

"Oh," Naruto said. "Who did you visit?"

"A friend," Mikoto said, winking at him.

Naruto frowned, obviously confused at what he meant.

Fugaku loudly cleared his throat. "You'll be late."

"Otou-san's right," Itachi said. "Let's go," he continued, leading the boys away.

Naruto and Sasuke smiled at Mikoto and Fugaku. "Good bye!" they said before sprinting to Itachi.

"I bet I'm faster than you today," Mikoto and Fugaku heard Naruto say as the boys turned in a corner of the road.

"I bet you're dreaming," Sasuke said.

"You just don't want to lose," Naruto replied.

"No running until we're near the academy," Itachi reminded them.

"Okay," the boys replied.

Mikoto chuckled, watching the three disappear in the road.

Fugaku smirked.

"Let's have breakfast," Mikoto said, stretching her arms. "I'm starving. I wonder what Itachi and Sasuke prepared." She then opened the gate and walked into the Uchiha compound

"Miso, Natto, Tamagoyaki and Tsukemono," Fugaku answered, following his wife.

Mikoto chuckled. "Our boys are really growing up, aren't they?" she said, walking to their house.

"Hn," Fugaku said smiling as behind Mikoto, thinking about how right his decision to marry Mikoto years ago was.

* * *

"So," Mikoto said as Fugaku closed the door of their house behind him. "Mind telling me what you were trying to say?"

Fugaku raised a brow at his wife, wondering what she meant.

Mikoto walked closer to her husband. "—the one about 'my daughter'..?"

Fugaku sighed. His wife was really hell-bent on the idea of adopting Sakura. "In the room," he said, leading her to their bedroom.

Mikoto took a seat on the bed and watched Fugaku sit next to her, waiting for him to speak.

Fugaku looked at Mikoto again, asking her if she was serious about adopting Sakura.

She kept her attentive gaze on him.

Fugaku sighed and looked away. "We have reason to believe the massacre was a cover up," he quietly said.

Mikoto raised a brow. "A cover up?" she said.

"The murderer had only one target in the apartment complex," he said. "But he wanted to keep that fact away from investigators so he killed everyone else in the building."

Mikoto nodded. "I understand Sakura could unmask the murderer if she—"

"That's not just the problem," Fugaku said, looking at his wife. "We also have reason to believe that the target of the murderer was Sakura and her family."

Mikoto stiffened.

"We can't surrender Sakura for any form of adoption," Fugaku continued. "Not when doing so would most likely endanger not just her life, but whoever would adopt her."


	6. Chapter 6

"No detours later, alright?" Itachi said, turning to face Sasuke and Naruto.

They stood near the gates to Konoha Academy's primary school – a crowd of chatting students already on their way inside. Most of the girls couldn't help but gaze at the Uchiha brothers. Among them was Ino who was still walking with Shikamaru and Chouji.

"Yes,sir!" Naruto answered, giving Itachi a salute.

Itachi smirked. "Sasuke?"

"Yes, Nii-san," Sasuke answered.

"Good," Itachi said, nodding. He padded the boys' heads and smiled. "I'll see you two later."

"You're not going to report to the office?" Sasuke asked.

"Not today," Itachi answered. "I'm on a different task at the moment."

"But you'll still be working for the force?" Naruto asked.

"Yes," Itachi answered. "I'll just fetch you two and make sure you get home, before I go to work."

Naruto frowned. "We can go home on our own," he said. "We've been walking home alone since you started to report in the office."

"I know," Itachi said, smiling. "But things are a bit different now."

Naruto and Sasuke nodded, knowing Itachi was pertaining to the massacre in Sakura's apartment complex. With the killer still on the loose, the adults grew more concerned about their children.

Perhaps that was why there were more guardians walking students to the academy's gates that day than there usually was.

"I'll be going now," Itachi said. "You two be good."

"I'm always good!" Naruto proudly said.

Sasuke just nodded. "See you later."

Itachi smiled one last time and waved his hand to them as he turned away to join the stream of high school Konoha Academy students walking toward the next block.

"—Not thinking straight!" Sasuke and Naruto heard Shikamaru snap just as they were about to walk into the campus.

They stared at each other for a moment to see if they both heard it, and turned around to see Shikamaru frowning and walking with an annoyed Ino and an exasperated Chouji.

"It's not that easy!" Shikamaru hissed.

Naruto and Sasuke couldn't help but raise their brows at the sight.

Sure Shikamaru was always one to complain, muttering "troublesome" in almost every situation. But he wasn't the type who snapped at people much less at Ino.

If there was a list of persons they thought Shikamaru would possibly snap at, Ino was at the bottom of the list if not nowhere in the list. He always seemed to spoil her. He complained about how "troublesome" she was but he adhered to whatever she wanted him to do in the end.

So a Shikamaru seemingly reprimanding Ino for something just seemed… weird.

"Hey guys!" Naruto greeted.

"Hey Naruto!" Chouji cheerfully greeted, before digging into the bag of chips he held in his hand.

"—Say it was easy!" Ino snapped back. She and Shikamaru seemed to be too enthralled at their heated conversation to realize that they were approaching Naruto and Sasuke. "I also didn't say it was impossible!"

"Yeah, well consider it impossible," Shikamaru muttered marching away from her. "I'm out."

"No you're not!" Ino cried, pulling Shikamaru back by the collar of his white buttoned shirt uniform.

Shikamaru turned around but glared at Ino. "No," he said. "Talk to me when you've come to your senses."

"W—What's going on?" Naruto whispered to Chouji.

"I'm not really sure," Chouji answered sadly. "I have a theory, but I think we need to get further into the campus first," he whispered.

Naruto raised a brow.

Sasuke got the hint. "Let's go," he said, dragging Naruto with him further into the campus.

"Hey!" Naruto cried.

Chouji pulled Shikamaru's shirt to tow him with the group. Ino followed Shikamaru – not wanting to stand down in their glaring competition.

They stopped in the shade of a tree situated in the school's playground. It was a shade they usually stayed in to share each other's packed lunch. Students rarely stayed in the area for fear of offending Sasuke so he figured it was the best place to make Chouji talk.

"Talk," Sasuke said, turning to face Chouji the moment they reached the shade.

"Talk about what?" Naruto asked, still puzzled at what was going on.

Shikamaru sighed, knowing what Sasuke meant.

Ino was frowning behind him and trying to avoid Sasuke's gaze.

Chouji glanced at Shikamaru and Ino. "You're planning something," he told Shikamaru.

"I'm not," Shikamaru said.

"—Because he's being a coward," Ino muttered.

Naruto scratched his head. "Can someone tell me what's going on?!"

"Spit it out," Sasuke icily said.

Ino cringed. "Fine," she sighed. She didn't want to lose the little 'relationship' she had with Sasuke after all. "I was asking Shikamaru to help me see _her._"

"Her?" Naruto asked.

"Sa-ku-ra," Chouji quietly mouthed.

"Oh," Naruto said, nodding. "I see. Wait—You what?! You're going to visit—"

Sasuke quickly covered Naruto's mouth. "You're sneaking into the hospital," he muttered.

"No," Shikamaru replied.

Ino frowned at Shikamaru. "He's not being a good friend right now."

Shikamaru glared at Ino. "We're talking about crossing police lines," he hissed.

"We're also talking about Sakura," Sasuke whispered, walking closer to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru, Chouji, Naruto and Ino looked at Sasuke.

"I'm in," Sasuke said.

Shikamaru frowned. "I'm not."

Naruto slapped Sasuke's hand away. "I'm in too!" he said. "I want to see her. And right now I know she wants to see us too. We're the only family she has."

Chouji looked thoughtfully at his tummy. He knew why Shikamaru didn't want to go. But Naruto had a point.

"Do you even realize what you're saying?" Shikamaru asked Naruto. "Sneaking into the hospital is one thing. Sneaking into her room and getting out without the force knowing is another thing. And it's _not_ as easy as the first one."

"You can do it though," Ino hissed, pulling Shikamaru's sleeve. "You can devise a way to get us in and out of there without them knowing!"

"In case you hadn't noticed Ino," Shikamaru sai, glancing at her. "We're _kids_."

"You've sneaked us in and out of the faculty lounge many times, Shikamaru," Naruto hissed. "I don't see how this would be that difficult."

Shikamaru sighed and looked up at the canopy shading them from the morning sun.

He shouldn't have sneaked Naruto, Kiba, and Chouji into the faculty room when they were five.

The academy's faculty room was off-limits to students, basically because teachers kept their lesson plans, exams and key to corrections to tests in the room. But hearing about the soft leather sofas and bountiful refrigerator in the corner of the faculty room that served as a lounge made Shikamaru, Naruto, Chouji and Kiba want to sneak into the place and see if the rumors were true.

Shikamaru devised a plan to sneak all four of them in and out of the place and executed the plan one weekday. They even took souvenirs from the fridge before they left – cans of sodas that they still kept in their room as proof of their achievement.

They had sneaked into the faculty room several times since then and had seen all the humiliating, indecent books, and hilarious trinkets the teachers kept in their faculty tables.

Shikamaru shook his head. "We're talking about a room guarded 24/7 by elite guards – _ANBU_," he hissed. "We can sneak into the hospital but it won't be as easy as sneaking past elite guards!"

"I can check when the ANBU changes shifts," Sasuke whispered.

"Yeah!" Ino said. "We'll sneak past them when they get off their post or when they have their break."

Shikamaru frowned at Sasuke.

For someone who supposedly knew a lot about the defense force, Sasuke was being too confident and lax.

"We can create a diversion," Sasuke said.

"Yeah! We can scare them off or something!" Narurto excitedly said.

"Who are you going to scare off?" Kiba's voice echoed from behind Naruto.

Everyone turned to see Kiba, Shino and Hinata approaching the group.

Shikamaru sighed and slapped his forehead. "Troublesome."

"Well?" Kiba asked. "What's going on here?"

"We're going to visit Saku—!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke nudged Naruto's side, cutting him off and glaring coldly at him.

No one else was supposed to know Sakura was alive!

"OUCH!" Naruto winced, rubbing his side.

"You're visiting her?!" Kiba excitedly said. "We can go there later?"

"No," Shikamaru answered.

"Kids aren't allowed in the hospital," Chouji said. "And it's…" he leaned closer and whispered. "…Heavily guarded."

Kiba and Hinata nodded slowly.

"How are we going to visit her then?" Kiba whispered.

Naruto stepped forward. "Shikamaru's breaking us in!"

"What the—" Shikamaru cursed. "NO!"

"Awesome!" Kiba said. "What do we need? When are we going to do it?"

"I am _not_ sneaking _anyone_ in!" Shikamaru said.

"Why not?" Kiba asked, frowning.

"Because it's freaking crazy!" Shikamaru snapped. "I can't sneak eight people in and out of a heavily guarded hospital room!"

"How many can you sneak in then?" Sasuke asked.

Shikamaru frowned at Sasuke.

"I asked you to sneak me in first!" Ino said, pulling Shikamaru's sleeve.

"I'm not sneaking anyone in!" Shikamaru hissed.

"She needs us though," Chouji said.

Shikamaru looked away.

He knew that. It was just… It wasn't right – sneaking passed the authorities. If his father knew about it, he would be forced to do house chores for the rest of his life – no more sleeping all day and no more cloud watching.

But Sakura needed a family – a group of people who would comfort her and tell her the world was still turning… That she should still live.

He wasn't close to the girl, but he had to admit it was nice having her as an opponent in a shoji game. She wasn't that good, but she had potential. She learned quickly in the games they had when Shikamaru opted to play shoji over cloud watching.

"Fine," he muttered. "I'll sneak in. I'll tell her whatever you want to tell her."

"No way," Naruto said. "She _has _to see me. I have to tell her what I want to tell her personally!"

"You wouldn't have this idea if I didn't tell you about it in the first place!" Ino snapped.

"I want to see her too!" Kiba said. "Akamaru can cheer her up!"

Sasuke glared coldly at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru looked away and forced himself not to cringe. "I can't sneak all of you in," he hissed. "We'll need people to create a diversion, and people to keep an eye on the guards."

"I need to see Sakura," Naruto said. "She needs someone to cheer her up, and that's me! I can tell her how she shouldn't feel lonely – how we're still all here for her and how she shouldn't give up just because all this happened to her. I can—"

Shikamaru drowned Naruto's speech out with his thoughts. Yes, Naruto can be quite convincing when it came to spreading positivity. Sakura would need him in the room.

"AGAIN!" Ino cut in. "I gave the idea of sneaking in to see her in the first place!"

Shikamaru sighed. Of course, Ino would be there. If he doesn't include her in the list, he wouldn't hear the end of it.

Then there was Sasuke who Shikamaru felt was glaring icy daggers on his back.

Shikamaru cringed. Perhaps seeing her lifelong crush would inspire Sakura to move on.

"Four people, including me," Shikamaru said. "That's it. I'm not getting anyone else in." He glanced at Ino, Naruto and Sasuke. "I'll sneak you three into the room," he said before turning to the others. "The rest of you – if you're all still willing – will have to help out with the diversion and guarding the premises."

"I'm in," Chouji said.

Kiba frowned. "I really think Akamaru can cheer Sakura up better than Naruto," he said.

"It's hard enough to sneak four kids into the hospital," Shikamaru said. "It will be more difficult to sneak a dog in. But Akamaru can help us clear the hallway of guards."

Kiba sighed. "Fine," he said. "We're in."

Shino nodded.

Hinata smiled. "I'll help too," she said. She then looked at Kiba and Chouji. "How about we make Sakura a card to cheer her up?"

"Oh yeah!" Chouji said. "Can we also give her food?" he asked Shikamaru. "I heard hospital food is awful."

"She can't eat barbeque," Sasuke said. "The nurse will throw it away. She's only allowed to eat healthy food."

"Eh?" Naruto asked. "What about ramen?"

Shikamaru frowned. "You guys are making my job more difficult."

"We can just prepare a healthy bento for her," Hinata said. "That way it wouldn't be that difficult to sneak in."

Shino nodded. "Ramen won't fit in a bento."

Naruto frowned. "But she needs soup! Soup cheers anyone up."

"We can put miso soup in a bowl with a tight cover and place it on top of the bento box," Ino said. "Then we can wrap it up in a furoshiki so it's easier to carry."

"That's a good idea!" Chouji said. "I'll ask my mom what food we can give to a hospital patient."

"Me too," Hinata said. "Would you like to make the bento in our house? We can also prepare the miso there."

Shino and Chouji nodded.

"Yeah!" Kiba said. "Then we can make the cards for Sakura together too! When do we start?"

"Give me a week to prepare everything," Shikamaru answered.

Naruto frowned. "That's too long."

"I need to do surveillance first," Shikamaru explained. "And I need the floor plan of the hospital."

"We can help you with that," Ino said. "Just tell us what you need."

The others nodded.

"Okay," Shikamaru said. "Let's meet at lunch. Class is about to start."

* * *

Itachi yawned as he sat down on his seat in the classroom. His classmates were still busy chatting with each other when he arrived.

He was planning to sneak into the library or the rooftop to get some shut eye but seeing his friends eagerly approaching him made him decide on staying on his seat.

"Uchiha-san!" greeted Tomoki, one of his guy friends in the class. "We heard you're in the massacre case," he said, sitting in front of him while their other friends sit around Itachi.

Itachi smiled a little. "Not really," he said. "I'm just working on one aspect of the investigation."

"But you were the first one on the scene, right?" Keichiro said, sitting near Tomoki.

Itachi nodded.

"Whoa!" the group exclaimed.

"Was it really horrible?" Shoju asked, sitting next to Itachi.

"Was it anything like the movies?" Aoki asked, standing near Shoju.

Itachi looked away, trying to suppress the bloody gory images of the corpse-littered rooms and hallways in his thoughts. "It's…" Itachi sighed and shook his head. "It's nothing like the movies because you've seen most of them alive in the streets of Konoha."

Tomoki and his friends looked away.

That was true. The victims in the massacre included food vendors, market workers, elders who had greeted them when they walked passed in the street, and one of them was a security guard in an arcade shop they visited after class.

"I know it's confidential," Keichiro asked. "But are there any leads?" he whispered.

Itachi and the others looked at him.

"There are leads now, yes," Itachi said.

"I'm assuming it's not some psycho on the streets since we're all back in school," Shoju said. Tomoki, Keichiro and Aoki nodded.

"Yes," Itachi answered. "But I'm afraid that's all I can disclose right now."

Tomoki and his friends nodded.

"Oi!" they heard a familiar voice call from behind them.

The boys rolled their eyes. Itachi chuckled.

"You know he can't tell you anything about the case," the voice continued.

"Kio-chan," Tomoki and his friends glumly greeted.

"Hello to you too," Kio said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Unlike her famous uncle, Hatake Kakashi, Kio was blunt and open. She spoke her mind freely and usually acted on impulse. Plainly put, Kio was the complete opposite of Itachi. And the existence of their one-year romantic relationship was still a mystery to many members of their age group.

"We'll see you at lunch," Tomoki whispered to Itachi before walking away.

Kio nodded and walked closer to Itachi. "Sorry," she said. "I know you've been working a lot lately."

Itachi smiled. "Thank you, Kio-chan," he said.

Kio took a seat in front of Itachi – her deep grey hair bouncing slightly as she sat on the chair. "I made you a bento for lunch," she said.

"Great!" Itachi said, leaning forward slightly and eyeing the black headband keeping Kio's hair away from her face. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and looked at her slightly flushed face. "I forgot to bring lunch today."

Kio chuckled. "You always forget your lunch," she said. "You're too busy thinking about solving cases to grab your lunch."

Itachi scratched his head. "I guess you're right," he said shyly.

Kio sighed. "I wish you would also take care of your health," she said frowning at him. "I understand we need justice to be served but I believe it's better if we can still keep you in the process."

Itachi nodded. "I still sleep."

Kio smirked and poked the grey bags under Itachi's left eye. "Apparently not enough," she said.

Itachi smiled.

"Are you sure you can survive school today?" Kio asked. "I heard we'll be having three surprise quizzes today."

That was one other thing that was special about Kio – probably something she inherited from the Hatake clan. She was good at gathering classified information. But she never spoke of what she knew unless she found it necessary.

Unlike her uncle, Kakashi, Kio was chatty and cheerful. She survived a car crash that left her parents dead at the age of seven. But it never kept her from living her life as happily as any average teen did. The incident made her a lot more headstrong and mature though.

She had expressed her interest in becoming a Medic-Nin – the division of the ANBU that specialized in military medicine. It involved not only extensive knowledge on pathology, but it also required military skills since they were also sent on the battlefield and in the new Konoha – crime scenes.

So Kio found ways of training the espionage and military skills she inherited from her clan even when in school. She was a valuable player in the academy's gymnastics, kendo and martial arts teams. And she used her intelligence gathering skills in her spare time.

Itachi chuckled. "They're not surprise quizzes anymore then," he said.

"Oh I'm not telling you on which subjects those quizzes will be," Kio said.

Itachi said. "Let me guess," he said. "One will be on Math, one on Biology and one on—"

Kio quickly covered Itachi's mouth, cutting his words. "Are you freaking crazy? It's supposed to be a surprise quiz!"

Itachi chuckled and lifted her hand away. He leaned closer and kissed her forehead. "My apologies."

Kio smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Now _that_ is just disgusting," muttered a senior suddenly standing near Itachi.

Itachi chuckled and looked at the man. "Good morning, Shisui."

Shisui winked at Itachi.

Kio rolled her eyes. "You're just jealous I get to kiss him and you don't," she said.

Shisui smirked. "How sure are you about that exactly?"

Kio gasped and glared at Shisui. "You won't!"

Shisui leaned closer to Itachi's cheek. "Neh, Itachi-kun… I missed you so much!" he crooned.

Itachi chuckled. "Shisui—"

Kio stood up. "_Fine_," she said. "I'll leave you two to talk privately. Geez! All you had to do was ask, you know?"

"Oh come on," Shisui said, snickering as he leaned away from Itachi. "I've tried that before and you just bombarded me with questions until class started and I had to leave. I was with Itachi first, you know."

Kio glared at him. "He's mine now," she said. "You're lucky I'm still letting you talk to him in private."

Itachi shook his head, sighing with a smile on his face.

Kio and Shisui _loved_ to banter around about Itachi. They had been close friends since they were kids, though Shisui was right – he and Itachi met each other first. That was because he was a cousin of Itachi's.

Shisui was two years older than Itachi. Shisui was in-charge of walking with Itachi to and from school. It was then that he met Kio. Kio always met Itachi on the school gate, and she always invited him to do something somewhere. That was why Shisui , from then on, teased Kio of having a crush on Itachi.

He was partly the reason why Kio became Itach's girlfriend eight years later.

"Tsk, I bet Itachi still prefers talking to me over talking to you," Shisui said. "Heck! He loves my cooking more than yours."

Kio gasped – cheeks flushed. She knew she wasn't as good at cooking as her uncle. Nor was she as good at cooking as Shisui and Itachi. But to say it out loud—

"I'm working on it!" she cried, obviously embarrassed.

Shisui burst into laughter. Itachi smiled sadly at Kio.

"Fine, fine," Shisui said. "Itachi loves you either way anyway. Let me have my moment with him, will you? It'll only take a minute or two, I promise."

Kio rolled her eyes.

Shisui nudged Itachi with his elbow.

Itachi nodded. "I love you."

Kio smirked at Itachi. "I know," she said. "I'll see you two later." And with that she pranced away to chat with her other friends in class.

Shisui sighed heavily. "Geez, she's a handful," he said. "You've really been hit hard if you can still stand her like that."

Itachi smiled. "She's not that bad, Shisui," he said. "Otherwise, you wouldn't lure us into being with each other."

"Nah, you're right," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "She'll make an interesting Uchiha."

Shisui had always noted how Uchiha women always seemed too lady-like and boring. They were sweet, sure. But they weren't as flamboyant and open as he wanted them to be.

"You didn't kick my girlfriend away to just tell me how interesting she is, right?" Itachi said.

"Yeah…right—," Shisui said slowly taking a seat in front of Itachi. He glanced around for a moment before leaning closer to Itachi. "How is she?" he quietly said.

Itachi raised a brow.

"The girl in the apartment," he continued.

Itachi froze. "I'm sorry?"

Shisui sighed. "I'm in the police force too, you know."

Yes, and he was in a different department. If Itachi remembered it correctly, Shisui was assigned on another case when the massacre happened. He wasn't reassigned to the team in charge of the massacre investigation, nor was he assigned to Sakura.

Specifics such as any description that would pinpoint the personalities involved, and suspected to be involved in the case, were declared confidential with only the people working on the case given the right to know about them.

So there shouldn't have been a way for him to know about the sex, much less the age, of the survivor of the massacre.

"If you mean the survivor, all I know is whoever he is, he's in the hospital," Itachi answered. As much as he wanted to be honest with Shisui, his duty as a police officer had to come first – especially when something seemed fishy…

Shisui chuckled. "Sorry," he said, scratching his head. He understood what Itachi meant. "I scared you back there, didn't I?"

"What are you playing, Shisui?" Itachi asked – concern filling his eyes. Shisui wasn't an ordinary officer. He was a sharp, calculating ANBU. He wouldn't be that sloppy.

Shisui took a deep breath and sighed. He looked out at the window. "I can't really tell anyone right now."

Itachi sighed. He was playing a dangerous game then. "If you know something, you know you can trust me."

Shisui smiled at Itachi. "Yeah, I know," he said. "I'm just worried you'd get in too much trouble." He quickly stood up and patted Itachi's head. "I'll see you when I see you!"

Itachi watched Shisui walk out of the classroom. He wanted to stop Shisui and force him to tell him what was up. But he knew Shisui wasn't going to tell him anything if he didn't want to.

* * *

Hopefully, his new hunch about Shisui being in the crime scene at the time of the crime was wrong.

"Thank you for coming at such a short notice," Minato said, smiling and welcoming Rin with a warm embrace.

After taking a three-hour nap, Minato went back to his office to resume his work. One of them was meeting Rin for an appointment.

"It's a pleasure to come back home," Rin said, hugging her old mentor back.

Minato fatherly patted her back and leaned away. "How have you been?"

"I've been holed up with antiques," Rin said, shrugging her shoulders.

Minato chuckled and motioned her to take a seat. "Are you planning to work back here anytime?"

Rin smiled and shook her head. "Not at the moment, I'm afraid," she said.

"Ah," Minato said, nodding. "Well if you ever change your mind, the hospital will be more than willing to take you in. The police force too, and of course the academy."

"Oh yes," Rin said, smiling sadly. "I've seen Obito and Kakashi."

Minato smirked. "And how have you two been?" he asked.

Rin sighed. "Good. He's been more protective, I think."

Minato scratched his head. "That can't be helped. I'm partly to blame. You shouldn't be here at such a time."

"Nonsense," Rin said. "I'll still come here if you didn't summon me."

Minato's face turned grim. "We're on the right track then."

"I'm afraid so," Rin said, looking seriously at Minato.

Minato leaned back and sighed. "Where do we start?"

"We can start with the reports you've received about the village libraries," Rin said.

"You've also received reports?" Minato asked. "This isn't just about antique library ornaments getting stolen, is it?"

"No," Rin said. "I've received word about seals being tampered with, and keepers dying of freak accidents and illnesses no one thought they had. It's become too frequent to be coincidences."

Minato looked away. "We've just lost our keeper," he said.

"A quiet death," Rin said, nodding. "I've received letters from him reporting suspicious visitors of the library. But he had been too sickly to check on them."

"Suspicious visitors?"

"There's only a handful of people who should know about the library," Rin said. "And he's been seeing someone other than those handful of people, patrolling the area."

"Was he by chance able to identify them in anyway?" Minato asked.

Rin nodded and looked slightly away. "He identified one of them as… As an Uchiha."

Minato stared surprised at Rin.

"What the hell is this?" Ino asked, frowning at the diagram Naruto placed on the table.

It was recess and the group decided to meet up in a table to discuss how they would sneak into the hospital to visit Sakura.

Sasuke, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba, Shino, and Hinata stared at the scribbles on the white paper, while Naruto proudly smiled at them.

"That's the layout of the hospital as I remember it," Naruto said.

On the paper were two large drawings of a box – each with its own set of smaller squares. There was a line on the first box that said "Entrance," a curve on near it that said "Nurses," and small boxes that said "Chairs." The succeeding lines and boxes were labeled as "Hallway," "Room," "Elevator" and "Stairs."

The second box had range of smaller squares all labeled with "Room," and two thin rectangles labeled as "Elevator" and "Stairs."

"You forgot the cashier counter here," Chouji said, pointing at the space near the "Nurses."

Sasuke frowned, resting his right cheek on the back of his right hand. "That's just the first two floors," he said. "Konoha hospital has seven floors."

Naruto frowned. "Those are the only floors I've been to," he said. "Besides, the pediatrics ward is on the second floor."

"She won't be confined to the pediatric ward," Sasuke replied. "She's a _special_ patient. She would most likely be given a room at the top floor of the hospital."

"Which would just be too much of a headache on our part," Shikamaru muttered. "The only way we can get into and out of the room would be through the room's door, which would no doubt be heavily guarded by ANBU."

"Why don't we just ask the Hokage for permission to visit Sakura-chan?" Chouji asked. "I mean, if we tell them how it would cheer her up—"

"We're not even supposed to know she's there," Sasuke hissed.

"Teme's right," Naruto said, frowning. "I've asked father about it and he repeatedly said the hospital isn't for children."

Shikamaru yawned. "So are we still going to do this? It's so troublesome…"

"OF COURSE, WE ARE!" Ino snapped at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru winced.

"There _has _to be a way for us to get in!" Ino said, looking at Naruto and Sasuke. "Can't you pull some strings?"

Sasuke looked irritatedly away.

Shikamaru smirked. "Sasuke's gonna get killed if he even dared to do that," he said. "Not that everyone else here won't be in trouble…"

"I'm not backing out," Kiba said. "Sakura-chan needs us."

Sasuke's eye brow twitched.

Shikamaru smirked.

"That's right!" Naruto seconded. "And ninja's don't back down from anything!"

"We're ninjas?" Chouji asked.

"We are now!" Naruto said. "Our mission is to see Sakura-chan."

"Correction," Shino said. "It's get the four of you in and out of Sakura-chan's hospital room."

"W-We should start with the things we need to make a plan," Hinata shyly said.

Shikamaru took a deep breath and flipped the paper Naruto placed on the table. He pulled out a pencil from his pocket and started to scribble words on the paper.

"These are what we need for now," Shikamaru said, writing down a number. "First, we need to know where she is in the hospital," he said, scribbling "Where in the hospital" on the paper. "The second is the number of officers guarding the room," he continued, writing "how many guards?" "Third is how they are guarding the room," he said, writing down "how – shift changes, schedules, breaks."

He looked at Sasuke. "I'm assuming Uchiha can contribute here," he said.

Sasuke glanced at Shikamaru.

"I'm taking that as a 'yes,'" Shikamaru said, scribbling a bracket at the end of the three phrases and writing "Sasuke" beside it. "You too, Shino?"

"I'll see what I can do," Shino answered.

Shikamaru nodded and scribbled Shino's name beside Sasuke's. "I'll probably have to work on this one too," he muttered to himself.

"What about me?" Naruto asked. "I can do that too!"

"We also need to find out the _exact_ layout of the hospital," Shikamaru said, writing "hospital blueprint" down. "I don't think anyone's going to give a bunch of kids a blueprint but you'll have to figure out how to do this. Naruto, Ino, and Hinata – I'm putting you in-charge of this."

Hinata blushed and looked shyly away.

Naruto nodded. "Okay!"

"Hey! What about me?!" Kiba asked, frowning at Shikamaru.

"We need to see how things are around the hospital," Shikamaru said, scribbling "hospital perimeter" on the paper. "We need observant people to patrol around the hospital for a few days." Shikamaru glanced at Chouji and Kiba. "Think you can do that?"

"Yeah," Chouji said, nodding. "There's a good restaurant somewhere there too!"

"I'll bring Akamaru with us so we look like we're just walking him," Kiba said, proudly. "I bet he'll also be able to track any possible hidden passages to the hospital!"

"I'm not counting on hidden passages, but sure, I trust you," Shikamaru muttered, writing their names on the paper.

"How long do we have to do all this?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, if what I know is right, they won't be moving her anytime soon," Shikamaru said. "We'll have five days to do this."

"How are we going to patrol in five days?" Chouji asked, looking sadly at the paper.

"Just make a map of what's outside the hospital," Shikamaru answered. "It's almost weekend anyway."

"We can do that," Kiba said.

"So we'll meet again next week," Ino said.

"Yes," Shikamaru said. "We'll gather everything and make a plan."

"Alright!" Naruto excitedly said, raising his knuckles. "Let's do this!"

"Do what..?" Iruka asked, approaching the group.

"Nothing," answered Shikamaru, Ino, Chouji, Shino, Kiba, and Hinata.

Sasuke nudged Naruto's side with his elbow.

"Ouch!" Naruto exclaimed. "That hurt, Teme!"

"Shut up, Dobe," Sasuke hissed.

Iruka frowned. "You kids aren't into something again, are you?"

Naruto burst into laughter. "What are you talking about, Iruka-sensei? We're good students!"

"Are we going to finish working on the poster, Iruka-sensei?" Shikamaru said, redirecting the conversation.

"Yeah, we're planning to show Sakura the finished poster once she comes back," Sasuke said. "You did say she's coming back to school once she's well, right?"

Iruka froze.

Sarutobi, the principal, told him about Sakura's condition as relayed by the Hokage. None of the students seemed to have knowledge about Sakura's address so they opted to say she was sick and had to leave school for several days.

He knew her new found circle of friends was somehow different though. It was possible that they already knew what happened to her. But to assume that was so in front of the children might end up a wrong move if he proved that they really didn't know anything.

So he did the safest thing to do.

"Yes," Iruka answered. "She'll be happy to see you've finished the poster once she comes back. You'll be finishing your posters after your break."

"Cool!" Naruto said. "I'll make sure our poster get's the highest score!"

"Dream on, Dobe," Kiba said. "_Our_ poster will be better than yours!

"You're forgetting our masterpiece," Ino said. "Our poster will be _way_ better than you posters combined."

Iruka sighed and shook his head. "You still have five minutes until we start art class. Remember – I'm watching _all _of you."

Naruto widely smiled at him. "Sure, Iruka-sensei!"

The group watched Iruka walk away and head to the classroom.

Sasuke slapped Naruto's head.

"OUCH! Stop it, Teme!"

"You almost got us into trouble!" Sasuke hissed.

"Let's not talk about this again until next week," Shikamaru said.

* * *

"He's a good worker," said an old man Kakashi was interviewing.

He received orders from the Hokage to do background checks on the Haruno family. He left early to look for other people in the village who knew them, and was interviewing one of Sakura's father's co-workers by noon.

"He's always a ball of sunshine," the old man said, chuckling as he served Kakashi tea in his small apartment living room. "He likes cheering people up, especially when they're down and stressed out of all the work. Keeping the archives isn't exactly an easy job, you know."

"I've heard," Kakashi said. "So you don't know anyone who might want him dead?"

The old man smirked. "I know a group that would want all of us dead, but I don't know the names of the people behind them."

Kakashi glanced grimly at the man. "A group..?"

The old man sighed and leaned forward. "We've received word about archive raids in different villages for the past months," he said. "It all seemed to be done by one person, and it all seemed to be done by the same group. We've been warned about people lurking near the archives. I guess we should have enlisted special help for it."

"Who advised you to be careful?" Kakashi asked.

"The Head Keeper," the old man answered.

"And you've seen people near the archives..?"

"People who we didn't expect to be there, yes," the old man said.

"Why didn't you ask for help from the Hokage?"

"We're autonomous," the old man said. "That means we don't ask help from the Kage unless we've received orders from the Keeper to do so. And you must understand that not everyone could be trusted with protecting us."

Kakashi sighed. "This… group," he said. "Could it be stopped by ANBU?"

The old man smirked. "If the ANBU were the ANBU they were supposed to be, maybe."

Kakashi frowned. "Are you saying they looted the archives to actualize its contents?"

"That's the only explanation we have right now," the old man said. "I've given you the copies of the reports we've received. Do you think they are things ordinary assasins can do?"

Kakashi glanced at the thick envelope in his hand.

The old man, 84-year-old Ishio Hojo, worked with Sakura's father. He was in-charge of keeping the reports they received from the Keepers.

"We'll give you protection," Kakashi finally said.

"No need," Ishio said. "I have a feeling I'll be next. What's important is that you have what you need to clean this mess up."

"You don't think we can protect you."

"Oh I'm competent about your skills," Ishio said, smiling at Kakashi. "I just don't think it's necessary to protect a man who's on the verge of dying. You should protect Rin-san instead."

Kakashi raised a brow at Ishio.

"I'm not shocked that she's here, but I'm not relieved about it either," Ishio said. "At least she's in Konoha. There's a greater chance she'll be properly protected."

Kakashi frowned. "Wouldn't it be more helpful if you just said everything bluntly?"

"I wouldn't be Haruno-san's co-worker if that's the case," Ishio answered.

Kakashi smirked. "Sure."

"There's an Uchiha who I saw frequently near the archives," Ishio said.

"Uchiha..?" Kakashi asked, surprised.

Ishio nodded. "He's asked us about visitors of the archives," he said. "And he's spoken to some of the people who have been staying frequently near the area. Have you spoken to him too?"

"Which Uchiha are we talking about here exactly?"


End file.
